Never Again
by DarkElements10
Summary: (Rewrite of Welcome to the Big Time) -Inspired by the song by Nickelback- Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan are off to LA to help make James's dreams of being a pop star become a reality. But, with the move, Kendall didn't expect his nightmares, or memories, he wasn't sure which, to become a reality as well. Especially when, for years, he was reassured that it never happened.
1. Packing

**Never Again**

**By: Rhuben**

**Summary-**** (Rewrite of Welcome to the Big Time) Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan are off to LA to help make James's dreams of being a pop star become a reality. But, with the move, Kendall didn't expect his nightmares, or memories, he wasn't sure which, to become a reality as well. Especially when, for years, he was reassured that it never happened. ~Based off the song by Nickelback~**

* * *

**~1~**

Kendall Knight couldn't believe it. He was actually going out to Los Angeles, California, of all places, to become the next hit singing group with his best friends James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell. And to think, all he wanted to do in life was play hockey. It was the main thing people knew him for.

"LA! Can you believe it?" James Diamond asked as he dragged his suitcase into the middle of Kendall's living room. It was practically spilling open with the clothes, bags of hair care products, and body spray. "We're actually going to LA!"

He moved to give Kendall a bear hug, which he had been doing every time he _saw _Kendall since Kendall agreed to go out to LA with his friends, but Kendall was prepared. He grabbed the hockey stick that was lying against the back of the couch and held it out threateningly, the curved part, poking James in the chest.

"Don't even _think _about it," he said in a low voice, giving James a warning look. He then tilted his head to the side, raising the hockey stick so it was level with James's cheek. He grinned as he lightly prodded James's cheek. "Hmmm. Your head's about the perfect shape for a hockey puck."

James rolled his eyes pushing the hockey stick away. "So, I need your guys' help with packing," James said, motioning towards his overstuffed suitcase. It looked like it was going to explode at any minute.

"I'll say," Logan Mitchell commented, from where he was sitting on the couch, his head buried in a science magazine. He looked over at James's bag, his upper lip curling. "I suspect there's a 75% chance that the bag will explode if you put one more thing in there."

"Lucky for us, he keeps his headshots and lucky comb in his pockets," Carlos Garcia, the last to round out the group of friends, commented with a grin, where he was jumping up and down on his own suitcase as Kendall's little sister, Katie, tried to zip it shut.

She let out a huff, blowing her bangs out of her face as she straightened, throwing her arms in the air. "You should talk," she cried as Carlos jumped to the ground, frowning. "Do you have to pack _all_ your helmets? The one on your head should be fine."

"I like to have options," Carlos replied with a grin, slapping the hockey helmet he wore on his head, two times. He then spun around to face his friends. "I can't believe this is really happening. I've always wanted to go to California."

"Hey, there was no way I was going to do this without my buds," Kendall said with a grin offering his hands for high fives. "This was too much of an opportunity to miss. And I decided to take it big time!"

"It's going to be an amazing three months though," Katie said with a sigh, fanning her neck with her hand. "And no school for three months, too!" She rolled her eyes as she watched Logan's smile slowly fade.

"Aw yeah!" Carlos cheered, doing an odd dance. "I can't wait to get on that airplane tomorrow."

"Me neither," Katie replied with a smirk, "then you all will _finally _be quiet for once."

"Katie, be nice to your brother and his friends," Kendall and Katie's mother, Kacy, called over her shoulder as she made them all dinner. She stopped stirring whatever it was that was in the pot she was standing behind and turned, wiping her hands on the dish towel that sat on the counter near her. "I don't understand why you always have to pick on them."

"Because it's fun," Katie replied with a shrug and a smile, "and it's easy."

"You should be grateful that I decided to bring you with us," Kendall said in a teasing tone, walking up behind his sister to muss her hair.

"Mom's looking out for all of you guys so you don't have a choice," Katie replied, sticking her tongue out at him before she started to fix her hair.

When James, Carlos, and Logan broke the news to their parents that they were going to California to sing, they were, naturally worried. They all had important jobs (James's mom, Brooke Diamond, being the CEO of her own cosmetics line which gave her the connotation of "Estee Lauder of the Midwest, Carlos's mom, Sylvia Garcia, works as an IT systems analyst, and Logan's mom, Joanna Mitchell, was a real estate agent) that they just couldn't leave.

With Mrs. Knight serving as a part-time waitress at one of the local restaurants, she was the obvious choice to go with the boys to look after them. Not only that, but they all hung out at Kendall house all the time, so Mrs. Knight felt like James, Carlos, and Logan were her kids as well.

"I just hope you boys know that you're going out to California for work, not for play," she said, turning towards all of them. "The music business is a tough thing to get into. I want you to take it seriously."

"We know, mom," Kendall said with a small sigh.

"I'm serious, Kendall," Mrs. Knight said, leaning against the counter, putting her hand on her hip, "I know you boys love to have fun, but this is going to be a lot of hard work. More hard work than I'm sure you're used to doing."

"Your puny brains might explode," Katie added. Mrs. Knight gave her a warning look and Katie gave a sheepish grin in reply.

"Don't worry, Mama Knight, I'll make sure to keep them in line," Logan said with a smile.

Mrs. Knight briefly closed her eyes and laughing quietly. "Thank you, Logan, I appreciate it," she said to him, causing him to smile a little wider. She then turned and looked at her son. "Kendall, I know you hate being told what to do, especially when you're stressed out, but please don't put up a fight when things aren't going your way." She raised her eyebrows when she didn't get a response. "Promise me."

"Promise her," Katie prompted.

"Promise, mom," Kendall replied with a nod, making his way over to her, hopping over suitcases and piles of clothes. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for letting me do this."

"Of course," Mrs. Knight said with a sigh, giving her son a hug in return. "Dinner should be done soon. Wash your hands, please. And if you have any clothes you need to be washed, leave them in a pile on the couch, I'll get to them tonight." Carlos immediately went back to his bag and started searching through his stuff, sniffing his clothes, to see if he needed anything washed. She let out a heavy sigh, and gave Kendall and amused look. "What are we going to do with him?"

Kendall laughed in reply. He watched as James and Logan hurried to the bathroom to wash their hands. He still couldn't believe they were leaving the first thing the next morning.

_You do as you're fucking told! Got it_?

Kendall was going to do anything he could to make James's dream come true. He wasn't going to be the person that single handedly crushed his friend. He knew what it was like to get your hopes up and then have them dropped in a second.

* * *

**A/N: Before anyone says anything, I HAVE seen _Big Time Moms _and I KNOW Mrs. Knight's first name is "Jennifer" and not "Kacy." I just like the idea of the K-theme running in this fictional family as it does in Kendall's real life.**

In case anyone is confused, no one thought, or said, the line in italics at the end. This'll happen throughout the fic until it's revealed as to why. Anyway, this was a short chapter to bring up the tone of the fic. Short chapter, to kinda set the tone. This fic is centered, and not-centered, around Kendall (if that makes sense).

Like I stated in the summary, this is a re-write of my first BTR fic, _Welcome to the Big Time_. I'll also have Jo, Stephanie, Camille, Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie in this fic. This fic _does_ feature our OCs, but they won't come for a little bit. And like I stated in the summary, I got the inspiration from the song, "Never Again" by Nickelback.

I'll have _So Wrong, But Feels So Right_ updated again soon.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	2. Arrival

**~2~**

Kendall couldn't sleep that night. He didn't know if it was because he was excited to be leaving or sad to be leaving. His whole life was in Minnesota and now he was suddenly going to pick up and move across the United States. But, he knew he was doing it for a good reason; he was doing it for his friends.

He rolled over onto his side and looked at his lock, frowning when he saw that it was only one O'clock in the morning. Their flight wasn't until the afternoon. Kendall flopped down on his back and let out a heavy sigh, running his hands over his face. _What's keeping me up_?

A sudden rise in snoring from Carlos, who was sleeping on his bedroom floor, revealed itself as part of the answer to his question. Kendall jumped, wondering why Carlos was even sleeping on his bedroom floor and quickly came to the realization that James and Logan must've kicked him out of the family room for it. Carlos _did_ snore pretty loudly, which made it that no one wanted to share a hotel, guest room, or any place where they could sleep with him.

Kendall let out a sigh, pushing his blankets back, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, gently pressing them to the floor. He then tip toed across the room, opened his bedroom door as quietly as possible and slipped out. He quietly made his way down the stairs, and was half surprised to find his mom sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea as if waiting for him.

"You ok?" Kendall asked, quietly pulling the chair nearest to her away from the table, dropping down in it.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Mrs. Knight replied with a gentle smile, slowly placing her cup down onto the table. "Just can't sleep."

"Me neither," Kendall replied. They were silent, quietly watching each other. "Mom, if you don't want us to go—"

"What I want is for you to be happy," Mrs. Knight interrupted him with a slight shake of her head. "And I know you're happy when your friends are happy. You're making James's dream come true."

"But, mom," Kendall said, running his fingers through his hair, "what about your work? Surely they won't hold your position until you get back. And who knows how long that'll be?"All the words of worries just started falling out of Kendall's mouth. "And you won't have _your _friends around and—" He stopped talking, and then said quietly, "I just don't want to let you down."

"You _won't_ let me down, Kendall," Mrs. Knight replied, folding her hands on the table. "I know you can do anything you set your mind to." Kendall couldn't help but give a small smile, one that his mom returned. He cherished every smile he gave her.

He knew she wasn't having an easy life working part time to help raise a son and daughter by herself but she always seemed be bright and sunny. He didn't know how one woman could go through so much, and still have a lively disposition. It really amazed him, sometimes. More times than not, he caught himself just watching her with amazement, wondering how she got through everything . She certainly was the perfect mom; she was sweet, always leant a listening ear, a lending hand, and did whatever was necessary to protect her family.

And for that, Kendall thought that she deserved to be happy. He didn't know how it was affecting her to suddenly uproot her life (and Katie's) and move out to California with him. While he was relieved that Gustav was paying for their flight, and their lodgings, and their transportation, it was only for three months if they didn't impress the executives and continue on with their project. Not only would they all have to return depressed (especially James), but he and Mrs. Knight would have to go back to work.

Kendall wasn't particularly fond of his job working at a local grocery store, but he had been working there for three years, and his boss promised to hold his job for him for when he gets back. His mom on the other hand, could lose her job and have to go out and look for another one. All the pressure ultimately was on his shoulders. He had to make things work out. He just had to.

"You think….you think dad would be proud of me if he was still here?" Kendall quietly asked as Mrs. Knight raised her cup of tea to her mouth again. He watched as she paused, the ceramic of the cup at her lips before slowly lowering the cup back down to the table.

"It's hard to know how Kevin would feel about this," Mrs. Knight slowly replied. Kendall frowned.

His dad had up and left him, Katie, and Mrs. Knight one night. Literally. They had all gone to sleep as a four person family and woke up as a single mother and two kids. Katie was really young at the time so she didn't really remember her dad, but Kendall did. He taught him how to play hockey, how to fish, how to pitch a tent, a lot of things. And suddenly he left with no note and no explanation.

He had always hated his dad for doing that, and barely every talked about him now, instantly getting angry over it. But, sometimes, like now, he wondered how things would be if his dad was still around. One thing he knew for sure, his dad would still harp on him for everything. Kevin Knight had, as a lawyer, looked at anything and everything objectively; that was the root of the problem between father and son. He didn't just teach Kendall things, he taught his son how to _perfect _things.

Kendall did respect his dad for that, but it was way too much pressure for him as time went on. Kendall knew without a doubt that his determination and motivation came from his mother. She always encouraged him to push past his boundaries and go the extra mile, but always knew when he pushed his limits and he was always there to pick him up after he fell. But, this was often shut out by his dad's persistence. And there was nothing either of them could do about it.

"What's important is that Katie and I are both very proud of you," Mrs. Knight said as she reached up her hand to run it through her son's hair. Kendall closed his eyes at the contact. "We'll be here for you every step of the way. Just remember that."

"I will mom," Kendall replied with a smile.

* * *

James leapt across his friends' laps (causing them to groan in pain) and pretty much dove out the limo door as soon as it reached its destination. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan followed him, smiles erupting across their faces as soon as they felt the California sun shining down on them.

"This place is amazing," Katie gasped as she and her mom, and music producer Gustavo Rocque, and his assistant (and talent scout), Kelly Wainright climbed out after them. She shouldered her bag and gave Kendall a wide smile. "Kendall, you would've been really dumb to pass this up."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence Katie," Kendall said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Since I took the job, can I have that twenty back?"

"No," Katie replied sliding sunglasses over her face.

Kendall peered at her, half annoyed and half amused. "You spent the money on the sunglasses didn't you?" Kendall asked.

"Duh," Katie replied, with a grin.

"And she's acting like a diva already," James said with a small laugh. Katie just smiled in reply.

"Ok, I have a few meetings to go to," Gustavo announced as he pushed his way to the front of the group.

He looked annoyed, not that it was any different to how his facial features were usually set. Kelly had explained to them at the airport, after Gustavo barely grunted a hello to them after they got off their plane at LAX, that he didn't really want to pick them up, but Arthur Griffin, president of Rocque Records, pretty much made him do it.

"This is the Palm Woods, where you'll be staying. Kelly will show you around. I have to get back to work." With that, he spun on his heels, and hurried back into the limo, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Excuse me one moment," Kelly said through a smile. Her smile instantly dropped as she turned around and marched over to the limo, her high heels _clack_ing with each step she took. She knocked on the window of the limo and waited for it to roll down.

"_What_?" Gustavo barked at her.

"We _both_ had to show them around," Kelly said through clenched teeth. "How do you expect us to get to Rocque Records if you take the limo?"

"Not my problem," Gustavo replied with a shrug, "Arthur just told us to pick these guys up from the airport." He looked around. "That's what we did." He then leaned his arm out the window and slapped the side of the car twice. "_Let's get going_." The car started up and rolled away from the curb.

"Okay then," Kelly cleared her throat, turning around, and smiled at the group. "First off, welcome to Los Angeles." She got a chorus of "thank you" in reply, James practically bouncing on his feet. "Like Gustavo said, this is the Palm Woods; where you'll be staying. As you know, all of your lodging expenses are covered by Gustavo himself."

"What's the Palm Woods?" Carlos asked, raising his hand in the air, fluttering his fingers.

"It's the 'Home of the Future Famous'," Kelly replied as she lead the way into the building, one arm carrying a clipboard, a phone out in her hand. She scrolled over it with her thumb. "Actresses, actors, musicians, dancers, they all live in the Palm Woods. Every year kids and their parents come from around the world looking for fame." She held her phone up to her ear and turned around to look at the boys. "Just wait until you see the pool."

"Pool?" James asked, snapping to attention. Kendall, Logan, and Carlos grabbed onto his shirt as he tried to break away from the group.

"You shouldn't have mentioned pool," Logan groaned as they tried to hold James still.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to relax," Kelly replied, pulling her phone away from her ear. She pressed a button on it, and then pulled open the front door and they all stepped into the lobby.

"Wow," Mrs. Knight gazed in awe as a blast of cold air from the air conditioning system hit her in the face. "This place looks great."

Sitting in front of them was a very open area with many seating places. Out the door to their right, they had a great view of the pool deck, sunlight bouncing off the water, casting a swath on the wall in shimmering light. All the way at the end of the room were elevators, and around the corner, out of sight, were most likely a set of stairs. The registration desk was to their left, and they could see a somewhat tall man with glasses standing behind it, talking to another customer.

Mrs. Knight walked over to a wall with various different types of rooms plastered on it. "I wonder what kind of room we have. They have different kinds of apartments here."

"Are you sure we're actually in an apartment building?" Katie asked, looking over the various pictures of different styles of apartments. "These look more like suites than apartments." She then grinned, slapping her hand on a picture of a big looking apartment filled with a golden glow from the lamps. "I saw we get this one."

"Your apartment has already been picked out," Kelly said to her, fluffing her hair with her fingers. "Let me just get the key to your apartment and we can all go upstairs." She then made her way oer to the front desk.

"I can't believe this," James said shaking with excitement. "I wonder what's the first thing we'll do as a group?"

"Photo shoot?" Logan asked, looking around. He grinned. "By the pool maybe?"

"Photo shoot with hot girls?" Carlos asked receiving high fives from his friends.

"Moving in, maybe?" Kendall asked, raising his eyebrows at his friends.

He was excited to get started on his musical career, but they still had a lot of things to do before they headed over to Rocque Records; like unpacking, and getting sleep. The time difference, while it was only two hours, was big enough to make him tired despite it being only three in the afternoon in Minnesota. Combine that with his lack of sleep that night, as well as the three hour flight, which didn't feel like it with the time difference, he just wanted to crash and sleep.

"Boys," Katie muttered rolling her eyes.

"Alright, let's go," Kelly said, waving the key ring of keys in her hand. They jingled and clanged together as she did so. James watched the keys as if someone had stolen his lucky comb and was now dangling it in front of his face. "We'll just take the stairs because we really don't need to take an elevator up to the second floor."

Kelly pushed the door open to the stair well, and lead the way up the short flight of stairs. The walls of the stairwell had pictures of actors, actresses, and musicians from various TV networks and movies on it.

"One day that'll be us," James said with a smile as he followed Kelly up the stairs.

"We have to wait three months before we find out if Rocque Records are actually going to take you on," Logan reminded him as she lead the way to their apartment. "Chance are slim to none. This is a tough business."

"That is true," Kelly said over her shoulder, "but trust me when I say that Gustavo wouldn't have agreed to take you four on if he didn't see something special in you."

"You mean something special in Kendall," Katie corrected her as the African American woman stopped in front of a door with '2J' on the front o a gold plaque. She put the key in the lock, turned the door knob and opened the door. Flipping on the lights she said, "Welcome to your new home!"

The group of six made their way into the gray apartment, making a face at the look and smell of the place. Katie pushed her sunglasses down her nose and made a face of horror.

"More like welcome to our new _dump_," she commented.

"Katie!" Mrs. Knight said in a stern tone as she put down her bags. Logan and Carlos were already sitting on the couch. "It's not so bad. It's just different than what we're used to." They all looked up at the ceiling, spotting a dark round spot, looking like a water mark. The couch Carlos and Logan were sitting on shifted to its side and with a loud groan, slammed into the ground.

"Yeah," Logan said with a fake smile. "It's great."

"It's different all right," Carlos added before giving a thumbs up.

"Just make yourself at home and enjoy your stay," Kelly said as she slowly backed out of the room. "Go check out the pool and the lounge. Your experience here will be great, I promise." They all watched as Kelly left the room.

"So who wants to hit the pool?" James asked after a moment of silence. Before getting an answer, he ran out of the apartment.

"Oh, me!" Carlos shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Me too," Logan added.

"Wait up," Logan raced after his friends.

"Wait for me! I'm coming too," Katie jumped over all the abandoned bags and ran out.

Mrs. Knight let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Kids." She then turned towards Kendall, peering curiously at him. "Aren't you going?"

"I think I'm going to unpack first," Kendall replied with a brief shake of his head. "And, hey, I get first dibs on the room, now." He gave a weak smile as he looked around the apartment. "I don't think this is what James had in mind when he said he'd be living the life of luxury." He followed that with a short laugh.

"Don't worry, Kendall," Mrs. Knight said, walking over to him, giving him a hug, rubbing his back, "everything will be great. You'll see."

"You heard Logan," Kendall said as he hugged his mom back, "chances of us getting a big break is slim to none." Mrs. Knight pulled back from her son and looked into his green eyes. "I just don't want James to be disappointed."

"If this is what James really wants, then he'll stop at nothing to get it," Mrs. Knight reminded him, "you know that." She tilted her head slightly to the side. "Now. What's _really_ bothering you?"

"Nothing," Kendall replied, shaking his head. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Why don't you go hang out with your friends by the pool?" Mrs. Knight suggested, cupping her son's cheek with her and, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "I'll decide who rooms with whom and get your clothes unpacked. Get some rays; meet some people."

"Are you sure?" Kendall asked, "You don't have to do that."

"Of course I do, I'm your mom," Mrs. Knight replied with a small smirk, gently pushing her son towards the door. "Go on, I don't mind. Just make sure everybody gets back up here and is showered and changed by five." Kendall gave her a confused look as he reached the door. "Kelly mentioned that Gustavo wants to take us out to dinner tonight," Mrs. Knight smiled, "to sign your demo contracts."

Kendall smiled in return. It was only the beginning.

_You better not mess this up, kid. So help me, God, you better not mess this up._

* * *

**A/N: **Slow start, but it starts to pick up in the next chapter. As I said before, this fic does have my OCs in it and they'll show up soon. First few chapters are just BTR. And before anyone says anything, I HAVE seen _Big Time Moms _and I KNOW Mrs. Knight's first name is "Jennifer" and not "Kacy." I just like the idea of the K-theme running in this fictional family as it does in Kendall's real life. (Mrs. Knight's first name wasn't mentioned in this chapter, but it will be later on).

Hope you guys liked this.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	3. Signing

**~3~**

_"_Start whenever you're ready."

_James nodded a few times, grasping the microphone in front of him with sweaty hands, glancing around nervously. It was now or never. He could do this. He took in a few cleansing breaths, feeling himself start to sweat when he saw Gustavo peering intensly at him. _

_"_P-people say, I-I'm the life of the party because,"_ James sang quietly, his lips shaking, "_I-I tell a joke or two._" He cleared his throat, feeling his dry his mouth was, but he continued to sing, gaining more confidence as he went. "_Although I might be laughing loud and hearty, deep inside I'm blue.  
So take a good look at my face—"

_As James turned sharply, he let out a horrified gasp as the microphone in his hands, slipped out, flew across the open area, and smacked Gustavo in the face, causing the man to let out a stream of yells, and curse words. Feeling his stomach drop, James stared at Gustavo, knowing that he didn't make it._

_He had failed._

James blinked rapidly, shaking his head from side to side, trying to erase the thoughts from his brain. He ran a hand over his face, trying to calm himself down. He had been having the same dream ever since he had actually bombed his performance, but each time he dreamed it, something about it changed. He got smacked in the head with a light, or he fell off the stage, something to have him fail each and every time.

Despite knowing that he was now in LA, following his dreams, he still dreamt of messing things up. And he hated it. But, at the same time, it was motivation. He would promise himself, over and over again _that _dream become reality.

Letting out a breath of air, he looked around the dingy apartment, reminding himself where he was and what he was about to be doing. It instantly calmed him down. He had made it. He let out a yawn as he checked his watch.

6:00pm.

After a long day by the side of the pool, and in between naps, everyone got ready to meet Gustavo. James was sitting rather comfortable on the old couch, which was now being propped up by Logan's school books. He was already dressed, every hair in its place, clothes crisp and clean. Carlos was lying on the other side of the couch, his hair messed up and tangled, as he snored loudly. His eyes were half closed; he looked exhausted. That's how they all felt as soon as their excitement wore off. But, James was the only one to really still be going.

"Alright, is everybody ready?" Mrs. Knight asked as she walked over the carpet, putting her earrings in her ears. James nudged Carlos in the side and he instantly shot awake.

"No more marshmallows," he muttered, blinking. He then yawned. "Oh, yeah, Mrs. Knight, we're ready."

"Where are Logan and Kendall?" Mrs. Knight asked, looking in her purse as Katie appeared beside her. "Normally, it's James that takes the longest to get ready."

"Hey, you can't just _expect_ to look this good all the time," James said with a smile, "you have to _work_ at it."

"And he's been _working_ _it_ for _three hours_," Katie replied with an over the top smile. James's smile grew a little wider.

"We're right here," Kendall said as he and Logan came out of the bathroom, combing their hair. "Word of advice, don't go in there unless you _really_ have to."

James let out a heavy sigh. He would actually prefer living in the bathroom than any other part of the apartment. But, he knew there wasn't any point in complaining. They were living in the home of the "future famous." They didn't have any power to actually complain and successfully get a new apartment. It was a minor setback, but something he could hopefully get used to living in.

"Let's get going, the limo should be here by now," Mrs. Knight said as she walked over to the front door. James's ears perked up at the thought of riding around in a limo even before he was famous. Things were starting to look up, and once he signed his name on the dotted line (something he had spent hours on end practicing his signature for) he knew things were only going to get better and better.

* * *

They arrived at the café at a quarter after six and headed inside the small building on the corner of the street. Soft music was playing, mixing in with the sounds of soft conversation and clinking silver ware. The place was dimly lit by a few ceiling lights. There were some candles sitting in the middle of the ound tables.

"Dinner for eight under Gustavo Rocque?" Mrs. Knight said to the hostess as she reached the stand.

The hostess made no move to hide the fact that she was looking everybody over, her upper lip curled. Everyone shifted uncomfortably as she counted out six menus. "Right this way," she said in an airy tone. She muttered something under her breath as she turned around to lead them through the maze of tables, but no one was able to catch what it was that she said.

"Here's your table," the hostess said in somewhat of a bored tone as she approached a large round table, covered in white cloth. There were four candles sitting in the center with a little statue of an angel in the middle. Kelly and Gustavo were already seated, talking quietly, or rather Kelly was talking quietly, sipping on some tea. He handed everyone their menus as they sat. "Enjoy your meal."

"This is a really nice place," Mrs. Knight said, nodding her approval, as she sat down next to Kelly.

"It's kind of dark in here," Carlos commented, jamming his hands into his pockets, slouching in his seat.

"That's the point," Logan replied, copying his movement, "the more dimly lit the place, the more you eat." He gave a shrug. "I read about it online. It's actually a pretty fascinating study—"

"Yeah, yeah," Katie said, waving her hand in the air. "I wonder if there are any celebrities in this place." Logan sighed, shaking his head. He looked over at Kendall who shrugged and briefly shook his head in a 'Don't-look-at-me' kind of way.

"We're glad that you could make it," Kelly said with a grin. "Did you move in ok?" She got various mumbles and grunts in reply.

"Excuse us, we're all just a little tired," Mrs. Knight replied, brushing a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. "We're…uh, moving in well. Just have to get used to the time change and everything."

"That's completely understandable," Kelly replied with a warm smile, sipping some of her tea. "I'm sorry you weren't able to see Rocque Records today; we had some important business to take care of." She folded her hands on the table. "But, we'll give you the tour right after dinner." That got the boys a little more lively and animated. "So, should we get started?"

"Boys," Gustavo said, sitting up in his seat. It sounded like he was trying hard not to talk too loudly, even though his voice was still carrying across the café. "Kendall. You have a gift. You have _the fire_. You have what I'm looking for to put me back on top." He gave what seemed to be a pained smile. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

"This isn't going to be easy," Kelly pointed out to them, "it's going to be a lot of hard work."

"So how much money are they going to be making?" Katie asked, spinning the ice in her cup of water with her straw. "That's what _I _want to know."

"_Katie_," Mrs. Knight said in a warning tone. "Excuse me, but you do understand that I have some concerns about this."

"Mrs. Knight, Gustavo and I will do anything we can to help you out," Kelly said, patting the red-head's hand. "If you agree to allowing your son and his friends to work with Gustavo, we have agreed to allow Rocque Records to pay for your lodgings at the Palm Woods for your time here. And we'll continue to pay after they get their record deal—" James's ears seemed to perk up "—so you won't have to worry about that."

"That _is _great, but I'm also worried about their education," Mrs. Knight continued, ignoring the groans from the group of teenagers. "School is important."

"I agree," Kelly replied, "which is why I've enrolled them into a private study schooling system. Every day, from eight to noon, they'll be going to school in the Palm Woods." She took another sip of her tea. "And in the afternoons, I'll walk them over to Rocque Records—"

"Where the _real_ work will begin," Gustavo interrupted Kelly. "It's all explained in their contracts. We're just here to talk to the boys about what my plan is for them." Mrs. Knight arched an eyebrow. "I promise you that you'll be able to read the contracts before they sign them once we get to Rocque Records." He then paused, peering at her. "So…what? You're their chaperone or something? 'Cause we're going to need to get them a manager."

"You're looking right at her," Katie said with a smile, indicating herself. "Katie Knight, world renowned manager."

"The only thing you've managed a day in your life was our lemonade stand when we were kids," Kendall pointed out to her.

"First off, it wasn't lemonade, it was frozen lemonade pops," Katie said, giving him a small glare, "since it was _your _bright idea to try and raise money, _in the winter_ for more hockey gear. But, thanks to my genius, I came up with the popsicle idea. And _secondly_, you wouldn't have made as much money without me."

"What money?" James asked with a snort. "We barely saw a penny come out of it."

"Kids!" Mrs. Knight said in a warning tone, and they instantly dropped the subject. Logan seemed to be the only one listening intently. James looked like he was daydreaming, Kendall was looking around the restaurant, Katie had her arms crossed over her chest, slumping in her chair, and Carlos was using his silver ware to play a random beat on the table. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know if I could hire a manager."

"There's no one stopping you from being their manager," Kelly pointed out to her, and Mrs. Knight blinked in surprise. "I promise you, it's not much different than what you already do for your kids. You'd be in control of their activities, business dealings, and other aspects of their career. You can make sure they're not over worked and stuff like that."

"Oh, I don't think I could do that," Mrs. Knight replied with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't know where to begin."

"At least think about it," Kelly replied with a patient smile. "You don't have to make a decision right now."

"These next three months is going to be a lot of hard work, but I have a fool proof plan to get you on the road to stardom," Gustavo said, jumping back into the conversation. He then added under his breath, "And to get my notoriety back." He cleared his throat, straightening his tie. "Boy bands are dead."

"Then…why are we here?" Logan asked, looking startled.

"To bring them _back_," Gustavo said, a hungry look coming to his eyes. "Boy bands _always_ have a big resurgence, I just haven't been pumping them out at the right time. But, I have a good feeling about you." He glared over at Kendall, who raised his chin, staring back at him. "We're not going to do this normally, oh no. You're going to get some help to become the best boy band ever."

"Help?" Carlos repeated. "What kind of help?"

"Gustavo and I have been talking to a few friends of ours to see if their clients would come help you learn the ropes of the music business," Kelly replied, watching as the boys' eyes lit up. "You'll find out soon. We don't want you to get your hopes up."

"But it _will_ work, mark my words," Gustavo replied, pounding his fist on the table, causing all the glasses to shake. "I _will_ make my comeback."

The conversation from there really was through the adults at the table. The boys and Katie, while they were excited, were too bored to really listen in on what they wanted to know. Plus, they knew that Mrs. Knight would be openly honest with them about whether or not she thought it was a good idea to continue on with the process. They ordered their dinner and sat eating and talking amongst themselves.

James was barely paying attention to anybody. If he had, he might have actually forced a laugh or something of the sort to show that he was at least trying to follow the conversation. He kept thinking about how excited he was for everything, but he was also worried, he knew how quickly a career could be lost. He wanted to have fun in LA, but he also wanted to be serious. He was being pulled in both directions. But, knowing that his friends were going through the same thing with him was making him feel better about the whole thing.

He could just tell his friends were nervous whether or not they said anything; Logan would give an odd laugh every now and then whenever someone said something funny, Carlos just couldn't sit still, and Kendall kept shooting his mom worried looks as he tried to follow along with the conversation. Katie seemed to be the only one who looked remotely calm, but at the same time, she wasn't going through a huge life changing event like this.

Before he knew it, everyone around him was standing up, pushing in their chairs. Logan briefly explained to him that they were going to Rocque Records, and he stared to panic all over again. _This is it, James. You're actually going to a recording studio. You'll actually be working here_.

As soon as they arrived at Rocque Records , Gustavo and Kelly walked through the halls of the building, calling over their shoulder for the group to wait. Looking around, they realized they really didn't have much they could do, so they looked for places to sit down.

The lobby was enormous and very classy with its sophisticated chairs and plush carpeted floors. James was almost afraid to sit. Various pictures of art hung up on the walls and pictures of celebrities and different musical groups hung in large frames, as if taunting him.

_That'll be us sometime soon, _James thought as he stuck his hands into his jeans pockets. He walked over to the window and stared outside, watching the people walk up and down the street, talking and laughing with each other. With the angle of the light, he was easily able to make out his reflection, and he looked nervous. Turning to glance at his friends James saw that they looked just as nervous as he felt.

Kendall stood up, clearing his throat. "We're going to do fine." James cracked a smile. He knew Kendall was just as nervous as he was. And he had every right to be; everything was ultimately riding on him.

"Yeah, who cares if they have gold framed pictures?" Carlos asked with a snort. He grinned, nudging Logan's shoulder with his own. "We're going to kick their asses."

Logan's lips curved feeling some of the tension drain. "Look," he began, getting to his feet. Logan and Kendall were the two out of the group that were best known for keeping everyone's spirits up and reassuring them (except for the times where Logan is predicting the percentage of failure).L

Logan chewed on his bottom lip before continuing. "I just want to say that no matter what happens in there, we did make it. Getting the record deal would be a plus…" James let out a loud bark of laughter. It wouldn't be just a _plus _to him; it'd be a whole new lifestyle. It'd be his dreams actually coming true at the sign of his name. "But record deal or no record deal, we came a long way."

They all nodded and glanced at each other, gaining the comfort they all needed from each other.

"Enough of this mushy stuff," Katie exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. She rolled her eyes, before looking around. "Are there any vending machines around here?"

"Katie, you just ate," Mrs. Knight said, giving her daughter a weird look.

"I know," Katie replied, looking around. "We don't have any food back at the Palm Woods and I might get hungry again." James looked over at Kendall over Katie's head. They both exchanged knowing looks; she was looking for a vending machine to see if she could somehow get the money out of it.

James didn't know when he had started pacing, but before he knew it, Carlos, Logan, and Kendall were all following the same path, walking one right after another, as they waited for Gustavo and Kelly to return. A small smile came to James's face and somehow it turned into a game; seeing how fast or slow he could walk with them following behind him. Sometimes he would stop suddenly and see if they would crash into him or each other, causing them to start to laugh. It was the first time they laughed that night and it made him feel good.

Before they knew it, Gustavo and Kelly were back and they were sitting down with a stack of paper in their hands, pens hovering over the dotted line at the bottom. Mrs. Knight was flipping through the pages, reading them, Logan as well, but James, Carlos, and Kendall didn't bother reading the small print, seeing as the whole page is covered with it. James's hand started to shake. He wanted to sign it so bad, but he didn't want to be the first one.

He looked over at Kendall, who gave a smile in return, right before signed his name, looking pleased with himself. James let out a sigh, feeling more calm and did the same, watching as his perfect signature appeared on the paper in front of him. Gustavo immediately snatched it away from him, looking gleeful. _I did it_. _This is where my dreams start_.

"Welcome to Rocque Records," Kelly said with a smile as she collected the papers. "You're going to have to sing, dance, and sweat your butts off if you want to make it up on these walls." She looked over at Mrs. Knight and smiled. "Congratulations, mom."

Their musical journey was about to begin, but it was also about to blow up in their faces.

_Now, you miss this shot, you're not just lettin' me down. You're lettin' your whole team down. _

* * *

**A/N: **So, I've decided to make this fic into the "Never Again series" going along with all the seasons of BTR (and my other fic I'll be posting soon called _Just Listen _is kind of a prequel to this series). So, I'll be basing this fic around the first season and I'll be "Re-doing" the episodes I felt were more important, but over all, it's going to be an original story line. (Read our most recent twit longer, or go to our tumblr post entitled "BTR Fanfic Help" to understand more. Links in our profile.)

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	4. Three Days

**~4~**

Gustavo Rocque felt amazing. If you asked him, he would just tell you flat out that he _was _amazing. He went to sleep happy that night, knowing that he was finally going to get his comeback. He had found his fire, and he was ready to bring the heat to the rest of Los Angeles.

"_Achem_."

Gustavo jumped, immediately breaking out of his mediation. He looked towards the door of his office, and plastered a smile to his face as his boss, Arthur Griffin, and two of his assistants. Gustavo started to rock back and forth in his chair.

"Hey, Griffin," he said, giving an odd wave. "You know, I meant to call you."

"Yes, and I've been meaning to teach my pet Liger, sign language," Griffin replied, moving to sit in the seat in front of Gustavo's desk. "But, I didn't." He crossed one leg over the other, straightening his clothes. He smiled peacefully at Gustavo. He then snapped his fingers and his two assistants grabbed Gustavo's desk, and turned it around in front of Griffin, making it look like the office belonged to him. "I also didn't approve of one million dollars to make your new boy band."

"Um, yeah, about that," Gustavo said as he started to twiddle his thumbs. "You see, Griffin—"

"The boy band is dead, Gustavo," Griffin interrupted him. Before Gustavo knew it, something heavy slammed into his stomach. It was so heavy, that as he tried to lift it, the weight of the object knocked him out of his chair. "If you happen to look at the research, you can see, that boy bands are dead."

Gustavo willed himself not to get angry. When he got angry he yelled. A lot. Not that he didn't raise his voice a lot in general, but he couldn't stop the words that came flying out of his mouth whenever he really got his blood boiling. And no one could do that faster than his own boss.

"I have a plan," Gustavo said as he climbed back into his chair, one the verge of wheezing. He put a hand to his stomach and breathed deeply for a moment. "A three month plan to be exact. There's no way it can go wrong. It's perfect. It'll blow you away." He stopped talking when Griffin put his hand in the air.

"Change your plan," he replied simply. "The RCM CBT Global Net Sanoid board of directors meeting is in four days," he said, leaning forward in his seat, clasping his hands together, "and I need to throw them some red meat." Gustavo's eye widened slightly. "Which means, you have three days to serve me a _tasty dish_."

"Three days?" Gustavo asked quietly, leaning forward in his seat. "You're giving me _three days_?"

"Yes," Griffin replied simply, getting to his feet. "I need a look, a name, and a song that will make 11 to 15 year olds steal their parents credit cards so they can buy it."

_There's no way I can get this done in three days_, Gustavo thought, fighting the urge to jump over his desk and wring Griffin's neck. This wasn't the first time his boss had suddenly sprung bad news on him, but this was the worst kind of news he could get. It was impossible to get him a boyband in three days.

"This band has to have it all, Gustavo, because, as you know, I want it all," Griffin said, clasping his hands behind his back.

_Who're you tell, buddy? It's my job and reputation on the line_, Gustavo thought glumly as he watched Griffin leave his office, before turning back to face him.

"Friday. 10 am." Griffin pointed a menacing finger at Gustavo. "It better be good or you're finished." He then left the room, closing the door behind him. Gustavo stared at the closed door before screaming at the top of his lungs.

He got to his feet and started to pace. "This isn't happening. This is _not _happening," he muttered. "It's ok, Gustavo. You can make this work. After all, you're _amazing_." He then dropped back into his chair, drumming his fingers on his desk."I need to make this work in three days. Wardrobe, name, song. Got it."

He then reached for the phone sitting on his desk. He jabbed at the numbers with his thumb, holding the phone up to his ear. He called into every department for whoever could come and help him as quickly as possible; which included wardrobe and hair, song writers, and marketing. He was a little calmer once he set his phone down. He heard voices outside, and put on a face like nothing was wrong, before he stepped outside.

Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan were looking at many of the large posters on the walls of his past boy bands. They were all failures, but he wasn't going to let it happen again. He had a good feeling about what was to come, but he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to get it done in three days. But, he was Gustavo Rocque, he could get anything to go his way if he really set his mind to it…and yelled at enough people.

"I don't know, guys," Kendall said, his upper lip curling slightly as he looked around at the various posters of boy bands as they all made their way through Rocque Records. "Do, we _want _to end up on these walls?" he asked.

"_Yes_," James instantly replied, giving Kendall and annoyed look. "Don't back out on me now, Knight. _You're_ the one that made this happen."

"Don't remind me," Kendall muttered.

Gustavo grit his teeth into, what he believed to be, a smile before loudly clapping his hands together. "Ok," he said, gaining Kendall, Carlos, Logan, and James's attention, "who wants to be turned into stars?" He got smiles and nods in reply. Gustavo instantly dropped his smile before grabbing the hockey helmet off of Carlos's head. "Good. You need to _prove_ to me that you can be stars."

He took in a deep breath of air before explaining to them what was going on. "You have _three days_ to prove to this record company that you have something, _anything_, here." As he talked, he could see Kendall's curious look turn into confusion and slight annoyance.

"Wha—three days?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, "what happened to three months?"

"Uh, the CEO of all of our butts wants to see us on Friday," Gustavo replied, motioning to himself, Kelly, and the boys.

Logan blinked before his eyes widened. "You want us to be a band in _three days_?" Logan asked, a look of disbelief crossing his face.

"No," Gustavo said in a low tone, "I want you to be _a great _band in three days!" He then looked over at Kendall, seeing the look of doubt on his face and stepped closer to him. "Unless you don't think you can do it, Mr. "Make Us a Pop Group"." He then leered at the taller teenager.

Kendall arched an eyebrow and said, "we can do it, no problem." His lips then twitched into a smirk. "Bring it."

"Oh, I'll '_bring it_'," Gustavo replied, using air quotes. "I'll bring everything I've got." Their noses were almost touching as he looked up at Kendall, Kendall stared down at him.

"This is a little close for me," Kendall commented quietly.

"Yeah, me too," Gustavo replied before taking a large step back. "Kelly, go get them their clothes." The teenaged boys exchanged glances as the African American woman walked off, rolling her eyes. No one talked until the clacking of her heels died away.

"We're…already wearing clothes?" Carlos said as more of a question. "And can I have my helmet back?"

"_No_!" Gustavo all but shouted back at him. "If I want to make you guys have a popular look; that includes _no hockey helmets_."

"But, we're hockey players, it's what we always have been and always will be," Kendall said, motioning to himself and then his friends. "And Carlos _always_ wears his helmet."

"Trust me, he needs it," Logan added in a stage whisper. Carlos punched him hard on the arm and he let out a squeak of pain.

Gutavo pinched the bridge of his nose, with one hand, silently counting to three before he let out a breath of air. He could already tell that these boys were going to test his patience. "If you want pretty boy's dream to come true," he motioned over towards James who gave a bright smile, "then I'm going to need you to cooperate with me." He clasped his hands behind his back, still holding onto Carlos's helmet, and started to pace. "You'll be going to wardrobe, dance rehearsal, and rehearsal in the studio today. You'll need to work hard. No monkeying around. And while _you're_ doing that, _I'm_ going to make some calls."

"But, this isn't in our contract—" Kendall spoke up, earning a glare from Gustavo.

"You are contracted to work for _me_ and pump out these songs and make this band work," Gustavo said as he turned to face Kendall for a second time. "I can already tell you, especially, are going to give me trouble." Kendall didn't say anything in reply. "I have no control over how long we'll have to make some demos. It's what Griffin wants; and he always gets what he wants. Your necks aren't the only ones on the line, mine are, too."

"Do you _really _think we can get this done in three days?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"_Yes_," James shot back in the same annoyed tone he did earlier to Kendall. He then gave Gustavo a wide grin. "I can_ make _us get this done in three days. See that? That's confidence. I can—"

"Stop," Gustavo said in a monotone and James immediately fell silent. "3 months, 3 days, it doesn't matter. You guys need a lot of help, which is why I'm calling around, asking to see who's available. I'm not getting turned down again."

"That's so nice," Carlos said with a warm smile, "he has faith in us."

"_No I don't_," Gustavo snapped and Carlos's smile wilted.

"I've got their clothes," Kelly said as she walked back into the hallway, arms filled with dark green shirts, camouflage pants, and shiny black boots. She pressed a pair into the boys' chests. "Bathrooms are over there." She then turned towards Gustavo as the boys went to change their clothes.

"_What_?" Gustavo asked, seeing the look on her face.

"I didn't say anything," Kelly replied with a shrug.

"Good."

"But, if I _did_—"

"Here we go." Kelly's jaw dropped slightly as she gave Gustavo the stink eye. He cleared his throat, and gave her his full attention.

"If I _did_ say something, it'd be to take it easy on these guys," Kelly said, motioning to the spot that Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan just stood, "they're new. They're not used to working so hard and being yelled at. I understand your job is on the line, but take it easy on them. They're kids."

"They're _dogs_," Gustavo corrected her, "and I'll have them obedient in no time. Just watch me." He turned back towards the boys as the bathroom door swung open and they trudged out, their smiles gone, except for James who was practically bouncing in excitement. "Alright, dogs, your boot camp training starts now. There are four things you need to become a great pop group. Number one; great dancing, number two; a great look, three; a great song, and _four;_ great singing." He then sighed, crossing his arms over his chest, bumping himself in the cheek with Carlos's helmet. "By the end of today, me and my team will transform the four dogs from Minnesota into Gustavo Rocque's pop _explosion_." He waved his hands in a tada kind of way, smacking himself in the face with Carlos's helmet.

Carlos burst out laughing and Gustavo glared at him, practically throwing his helmet into his chest. "It's ok, helmet," Carlos cooed, stroking the helmet with one hand, cradling it with his other arm, "did the mean man frighten you? You're back with papa now, it's ok."

"First up in boot camp! Great dancing!" Gustavo declared before turning towards Kelly. "Get them to the dance studio, I'll be back in one hour. I want to see good dancers, not dogs."

"You got it," Kelly replied, sarcastically before motioning for the boys to follow her.

Gustavo marched back into his office, letting out a heavy sigh of annoyance as soon as he closed the door behind him. "This is going to be a _long_ three days," he muttered, scratching at a bald spot on his head. "This is such short notice, where am I going to get some help?" He sat down at his desk and grabbed his phone. Staring at it for a moment, he flipped his phone open and scrolled through his contacts, before selecting one, raising his phone to his ear. The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"_Hello? Dak Zevon, here._" Dak Zevon was the hottest actor, singer, and performer at the moment. Performing in various movies, plays, and concerts, he had every girl's eye on him.

"Yeah, Dak, it's Gustavo Rocque," Gustavo said in to his phone. "I was wondering if you could help me out." He then launched into his spiel about the four boys from Minnesota, their demos, and how they now only had three days to put together a band. "So I thought I'd check and see what your schedule was like."

"_I'd be glad to help, Gustavo, since you've let me use your recording studio every time I'm in LA,_" Dak replied, "_But three days is too short of a notice. You know I'm currently in Hairspray. We've got a handful of shows left._"

Gustavo groaned, running a hand over his face. Dak Zevon was the one person he was really relying on. He had a good work ethic, he was talented, and everybody loved him. He knew that there was a chance that the teen icon, which is what he was best known as, was going to be busy, but he was hoping that there would even be the smallest chance that he would help them out. If not, he had to go with plan B. And he _never _wanted to go with plan B.

"I understand, don't worry about it," Gustavo said through clenched teeth.

"_Whenever I'm in town, I'd be happy to help out anyway I can. Just let me know._"

"Yeah, sure," Gustavo replied shortly, hanging up the phone.

He tightly squeezed his phone in his hand, before turning to his computer. He opened it, turned it on, starting up his computer, and typed in his password, logging in. As soon as he did so, his Skype popped up. He stared at it for a moment, gritting his teeth, before selecting two people to start a group chat.

The Skype jingle played as the call went through, moments before it was answered, and Gustavo was face to face with two young looking men. One had dark brown hair and green eyes. He looked curious as he gave Gustavo a wave in greeting. The other man looked annoyed, with black hair and grey eyes and he merely made a noise in the back of his throat in greeting.

"Ronan, Robert, I'm just going to cut to the chase here," Gustavo said, clasping his hands together. "I need your help."

Ronan McGuire, the man with brown hair and green eyes, raised his eyebrows, looking even more curious. Robert Jackson, the man with black hair and grey eyes, looked almost gleeful. Gustavo has known the two of them for a while as they were the music producer (Ronan) and manager (Robert) for the newest popular family band from Australia, the DarkElements.

The DarkElements were famous in Australia and New Zealand before moving to America to try and make it big there. Robert, who is also the father to the kids in the band, and Ronan were able to get Dak Zevon to help the band in the US get more publicity, and to get used to the American culture. With how well that worked for them, Gustavo wanted Dak to help the dogs from Minnesota. But, since that didn't work out, he had to go with them as their plan B.

It wasn't that he didn't like the band, but they were good. _Really _good. They were band made up of two girls and three boys, a perfect combination to get both boys _and_ girls attention, but not only could they sing and dance, but they could play their own instruments as well and often performed both at their shows. But, it was mainly Robert that made him despise wanting to work with them.

Robert Jackson was his self-proclaimed rival. Ever since they met, the two of them did everything they could to land on top. While Gustavo's boy bands kept failing, Robert's band kept getting more and more popularity. He had three days. He was desperate, and Robert was able to pick up on it in a second. Gustavo mentally prepared himself for gloating.

Gustavo had no problem with Ronan, at least he wouldn't admit that to his face. The two of them were well known music producers, and both of them tried to do the best they could in the business. While Gustavo was pumping out failed boy bands, Ronan stuck with the DarkElements since he first met them, almost six years ago, now. The DarkElements' fame took a little while to gain momentum, but once they started going, they never stopped. Gustavo would never openly admit that he was happy for Ronan and his success, but he was.

"What exactly do you need help with?" Robert asked, leaning closer to his computer screen, seeming to be grinning.

"You know, Robbie, I'm only asking since Dak Zevon turned me down," Gustavo commented.

"I have to say I'm interested to know what's up as well?" Ronan asked, leaning back in his chair, loosening the tie he wore around his neck.

Gustavo let out a heavy sigh, rubbing at his temples. "You, of course, are well aware at this point that I have brought four boys from Minnesota to become the next big—"

"Boy band," Ronan finished for him. He let out a low whistle. "You're running a great risk there, bud."

"_I know_," Gustavo snapped and Ronan merely blinked. Having known Gustavo for years, he was used to his loud, angry, outbursts. "So, like I said, Dak turned me down. I was hoping to see if I could have him do what he did with your band—"

"And help your boys out," Robert said in a tight voice, "but now you're asking for my kids to help you?" He raised an eyebrow, trying to show hesitance, but Gustavo could see the glint of delight in his eye. Gustavo was not one to ask for help. "I don't know, they have their own jobs to think about. They're working on _two _CDs at the moment."

"Technically, it's only _one_ because they're re-mastering and re-releasing their very first CD in America," Ronan corrected the older man. Robert shot Ronan a glare, but didn't say anything in reply. "I'm sure we could free up space for them to help out."

"Need I remind you that this is an important time for my kids?" Robert asked, turning in his seat, so it looked like he was actually talking to Ronan.

"As their music producer, I'm completely aware of all their deadlines and meetings, and other things they have to meet," Ronan replied in a tight voice. "At the same time, everybody deserves a chance in this business. It's harder for a boy band and I think we should help Gustavo out."

Gustavo blinked when his name was said. He was watching the two men argue with each other, he wondered if they had actually forgotten that he was there. "It's a simple yes or no, _Robbie_," Gustavo said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He watched as Robert's upper lip curled. "I can find somebody else, but I really need your help."

"Whether you need it or not, they won't be free for the next three days," Robert replied, looking bored as he picked at his finger nails. "You're just going to have to do the best you can, and hope they get picked. _Then _we can think about helping you out."

There was a shuffling sound as Ronan, moved around papers, looking for something. He let out a small "ah ha" when he found what he was looking for, and held papers over his face, muttering to himself. "I'm afraid he's right, Gustavo," Ronan said after a moment.

"Of course I am," Robert replied with a roll of his eyes.

"They're booked for the next three days," Ronan said with a sigh, setting down the papers. "I'm all for helping you out; but I can't get them out of this." He rubbed his chin. "If things get _really_ bad in the next few days, call me directly and we can work something out."

"Why do you even want to help him so bad?" Robert asked, giving Ronan an odd look.

"Unlike you, I actually like to think outside of what's going on with your kids," Ronan replied. He added something else under his breath, but Gustavo couldn't hear him.

"Remember that I was the one that hired you to do this," Robert commented, "I can take that all away in a minute."

Ronan grit his teeth, but didn't say anything. He slowly let out a breath of air, looking calmer. He then swiveled around in his chair before looking directly at Gustavo. "Gustavo, just call me later. You, Kelly, and I can find a time to sit down and talk about this."

"Thanks for nothing," Gustavo grunted before ending the chat. He closed his computer, and leaned back in his chair, letting out a long noise of annoyance and disappointment. He sat in his chair a little while longer before deciding to get up to check on how the boys were doing.

He wasn't sure what he was going to expect; but he knew it wouldn't be pretty. The boys always had something to say back to him, their posture was screwed up thanks to their years bending over hockey sticks, and from what he could remember from the auditions, despite him doing everything he could to forget about that horrible night, only two of them could really sing.

Gustavo swung the door to the dance studio open. Keeping his eyes on the boom box in front of him, he marched over to it, jabbing his thumb into the play button, switching it off. As he turned to face the teenage boys, he had to fight the urge to start kicking and screaming right then and there. They were lying on the floor in a heap, and their choreographer, Mr. X, was nowhere to be found.

"What happened to Mr. X?" Kelly asked, slowly walking into the room behind Gustavo.

"Well, he banged his head into the wall a few times," Logan said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.

"And then we got really dizzy," Carlos said, from where he was hanging upside down by the barr they used for ballet lessons.

"Then he said a bunch of bad words that started with 'X'," James replied, making an X with his arms.

Gustavo looked over at Kendall. He didn't seem to be breathing hard, and he looked less sweaty than the rest of the boys. He was actually looking at Gustavo, with what he thought, was a smirk. "Then he X-quit." Gustavo lost it. He started screaming. He yelled. He cursed. Things just weren't going his way and he knew there was no way he could keep it in any longer. Once his throat started to hurt, he finally took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"Calm down, Gustavo," Kelly said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll find you a new choreographer if I can't convince him to come back." She made a note on the clipboard she carried in her hands. "Now, were you successful with your phone calls?"

"No," Gustavo grunted."Dak Zevon is booked for another month and a half before he can actually get back out to LA again, and _Robbie_ doesn't want _his kids_ to help me." He clenched his hands into fists. "He just wants to ruin me. I just know it."

"Well, they _are _pretty busy," Kelly commented.

"I'm aware," Gustavo growled, "but I had no choice but to ask them. It was like he was _waiting _for it. Ronan wanted to help though." Kelly nodded.

"Wait," James said, putting his hand into the air. He actually looked a little excited. "_Dak Zevon _wants to work with _us_?" Carlos, Logan, and Kendall gave his friend weird looks. "_Seriously_?"

"Get over it. _Now_," Gustavo snapped. "We're on our own for the next three days. I can only hope you dogs are up for it."

_Don't screw up_ _the best thing that ever happened to you just because you're a little unsure about who you are. Everything's riding on this. Don't you dare screw this up, kid._

* * *

**A/N: **And there's the next chapter. Right now, I'm planning on having my OCs appear in the next chapter, but it might be the one after this. I'll be showing more of Katie and Mrs. Knight as well.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please go vote in our poll on our profile if you haven't done so yet.

**Cheers**

**-Rhubes**


	5. The Rival Band

**~5~**

"_Cut_!"

Ronan McGuire sighed and lazily slapped his hand on the soundboard in front of him, shutting off the music, partially annoyed because Robert Jackson was taking over his job, and partially frustrated that they barely got anything done since they started.

Ronan briefly squeezed one eye shut, getting ready for the loud yell as Robert leaned across him, jabbing his finger into the microphone button, practically yelling into the small device. "_What was that_?" he demanded, eyes blazing with fury. No one moved except for Patrick Jackson giving a small shrug in reply. "You've done this a million times before! You've done this your _whole life_! And now you're not even hitting the notes!"

"Sorry," the five kids mumbled shifting their weight from foot to foot.

"We've got demos to cut for your new CD. _You_ may not want it to do well but-"

"Maybe you should cool down a little bit," Ronan suggested and Robert leaned back in his seat, turning his gaze towards him. "Obviously, yelling isn't going to help. They're just stressed out, having a bad day. It happens all the time."

"That's life," Robert replied, his face suddenly losing emotion again. Ronan blinked at the sudden change in tone. "Not everyone's going to have good days. Being sick, I understand. But, this is their career and they're trying to meet a deadline on their music."

"I understand that," Ronan replied, just as calmly. "And they're really doing their best. They've just got some stuff going on."

Robert peered at him. "What kind of stuff?"

"Just…stuff," Ronan replied with a shrug, "I don't know.

Robert sighed heavily. "They haven't even written their song, which is due _this_ week."

"I understand, but you can't force it to come out of them," Ronan replied, sighing as well. "Maybe we should stop for today, let them cool off and see what we can do tomorrow." Robert looked opposed to the idea but nodded and Ronan waved the kids out.

"I've got something to tell you," Robert said to his kids as he got out of his seat. "You're going to be even busier then you imagined this year. We all know that Gustavo has his new boy band starting up. I just met with Arthur Griffin today and its official; he wants us to help them out. They couldn't get Dak Zevon to help them out, so they asked us instead."

"But…you _hate_ Gustavo," Riley Jackson commented. She was the oldest out of the five kids (being only five minutes older than her twin sister, Rhuben Jackson) and the one with the quick tongue. As soon as you said something to her, she could quickly dish out a comment right back to you.

"I'm fully aware of that, thanks," Robert said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But, this'll be good publicity for us. If their band is successful, they have us to thank. We'll all be meeting with them tomorrow to hash out contracts and everything." He then strode towards the office door, pulling it open. "In the mean time, you're going over to the Palm Woods to meet them."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, daddy?" Sydney Jackson, the smallest of the five kids, looked up at his dad with his wide blue eyes. "I mean, you won't even let Ronan work with any other bands. So, why are we helping Gustavo?"

"Well, actually, Syd—"

"Ronan enjoys working with you, and you've been such a success to him, why would he want to change groups?" Robert asked, cutting Ronan off as the younger man leaned forward in his seat to explain. Rhuben Jackson, Riley's twin, looked over at their music producer, her eyebrows narrowing slightly. Ronan's eyebrows twitched, but he gave a smile, leaning back in his chair again.

"He's right," he replied, putting his hands up in a 'What can you do' kind of way. "I enjoy working with you guys. I'm not rocking the boat now." Noah Jackson, Patrick's younger twin brother, gave a brief smile at the comment, before Robert ushered them out of the room.

The Jacksons all share the trait of black hair and piercing blue eyes. Riley and Rhuben and Patrick and Noah look so much alike that the only way to tell them apart (besides their personalities) is because they are color coordinated.

Riley has a lock of her hair dyed red and wears at least one article of clothing in red and Rhuben is the same except her color is purple. The ends of Patrick's black hair is bleached blond while Noah has the ends of his hair colored a silverish-white color. They too wear at least one article of clothing in their respective colors.

Sydney is the only one that doesn't have a twin and is the only Jackson that has dimples. But he does have the ends of his hair dyed blue. But, like his siblings, he does have a signature color; blue, and tries to wear at least one thing in that color.

"Alright listen, and listen good," Robert muttered under his breath as they made their way out of the building. "I don't want any funny business at the Palm Woods, got it? You're just going to go over, introduce yourself to the new group, tell them what you'll be helping them with, and then we're out of there. We'll discuss everything else at the meeting." He then stopped and looked at each of his kids. "Got it?"

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.

"Good," Robert replied, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "Now, get in the car."

* * *

"Geeze, where _are _these guys?" Riley asked as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "We've been here for ten minutes already."

"You think they don't know that they're supposed to be meeting us here?" Rhuben asked as she leaned back in her chair. She and her brothers and sister were sitting at a round table on the Palm Woods pool deck, waiting for the boys of Big Time Rush. She got silence in reply.

"I'm hungry," Patrick said, rubbing his stomach with his hands. He started twisting in his seat. "Is there anything to eat around here?"

"You're always hungry, ya dill," Sydney commented, staring down at the purple phone in his hands. He kicked his legs back and forth, humming to himself as he played a game.

"There's a smoothie cart over there, Pat," Riley replied, sounding annoyed as she pulled her wallet out of her back pocket, handing it to her. "Get something for Little Man, too." She nodded over towards Sydney whose dimples briefly appeared as he gave a quick smile, not bothering to look up from the phone.

"I'll come, too," Noah commented, using his shoulder to brush his bangs out of his face. He slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, tilting his head towards Riley. "I'll make sure he doesn't use any more money than he's s'posed to."

"Thanks, No," Riley replied with a smile. It faded quickly as she looked at her cell phone, letting out an annoyed huff. "We're here longer than dad wanted us to. He's going to be mad."

"When is he not?" Rhuben asked, picking at her finger nails. Riley gave a brief nod in reply. They sat in silence until their brothers came back, passing out cups of smoothies.

"Thank you," Sydney said happily, licking his lips after he drank some of his smoothie, the cell phone abandoned on the table. Rhuben grabbed it, sliding it back into her pocket, briefly glancing at the screen.

"No problem," Patrick said ruffling his hair. He turned to Noah and let out a sigh. "We need a bigger allowance."

"Or you could just stop spending your money as soon as you get it," Noah suggested with a smirk. "_I _on the other hand know how to save money."

"Not really, because you always lend it to me whenever I ask," Patrick shot back, sticking out his tongue.

"Yeah, and you never pay me back," Noah said dryly.

"Details," Patrick waved his hand in the air. Noah couldn't help but grin. "Wonder why Dak wasn't able to help out Gustavo."

"Why don't you ask Rhu-Rhu?" Sydney asked with a small laugh, elbowing his sister in the side. Rhuben rolled her eyes as Riley, Patrick, and Noah started to laugh. "So why couldn't he come?"

Rumors had been going around for years (ever since Dak started working with their band) that she and Dak Zevon were dating. They were kind of half rumors as Dak didn't hesitate to tell people in interviews, when asked if he liked someone, that he was interested in Rhuben. But, she kept turning him down for dates whenever he asked, and he asked a good handful of times.

Rhuben paused, looking like she didn't want to answer, and then said, "He's still doing _Hairspray_. He should be done in about a month and a half if I remember correctly."

"And you do," Patrick replied, rolling his eyes, before smiling, "because he emails you to remind you like twice a day."

"It's twice a month, Weasel," Rhuben shot back, glowering at her brother, "and how many times do I have to tell you to stop reading my email?"

"Don't make your password so easy," Patrick replied with a shrug, reaching for his cup. Rhuben balled up her napkin and threw it at him. Patrick blinked when it bounced off his forehead. He raised his eyebrows before throwing it back at her. Rhuben quickly finished off her smoothie, shoving her straw into the cup, throwing it back at him.

"Guys, knock it off," Riley said, although she was smiling at the exchange.

"Take _this_," Patrick cried, grabbing Riley's wallet, throwing it across the table. Riley quickly saw that it was flying off course and turned in her chair, reaching out her hand to grab it. As she jumped up, she bumped into someone she didn't notice, wincing when she heard a loud splash.

"Oooooh," Sydney said, putting a hand over his mouth as his eyes widened, "Look what you diiiid."

"It's not my fault," Riley said, sliding her wallet into the back pocket of her jeans. She kneeled down by the side of the pool and offered the boy who was treading water her hand. "Didn't see you there, mate."

"It's ok," he said taking her hand.

A shocked look crossed over Riley's face before a blank look pushed it away. "Logan?" she asked as she helped the boy to her feet. "Logan Mitchell?" 'Logan' titled his head to the side, a confused look crossing his face.

"Do I know you?" he asked, holding his arms out to his sides, water dripping off them. He then brushed his hands through his hair, peering carefully at her.

"How do you know Logan?" The Jacksons all turned towards the voice and saw three boys standing there staring at them.

"Logan?" Rhuben repeated, peering at the wet boy in front of her..

"How do you know Logan?" the same boy repeated, turning to look at his friend. Logan looked back at him before shrugging.

"He's an old friend of ours," Riley replied. "I'd recognize that face anywhere. Maybe this will jog your memory." She motioned to herself then her sister. "Landon and Bella."

"Wow," Logan blinked. Then a smile crossed his face. "I can't believe it. It's been a while. How are you?"

"Would somebody please tell us what's going on?" the tallest of the three boys asked, looking back and forth between Logan and the Jacksons. His eyes lingered on the girls for a moment and he grinned. "Sup?"

"Sorry, these are my friends," Logan said, turning towards his three friends, waving his hand to silently tell them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Carlos Garcia," Carlos gave the five kids a bright smile.

"James Diamond," James said, his smile widening a little more.

"And I'm Kendall Knight, it's nice to meet you," Kendall smiled, finishing off the introductions, offering them his hand. The five of them briefly exchanged glances, and Kendall's arm dropped slightly until Riley reached out her hand, clasping his, giving it a firm shake. "So…"

Carlos let out a loud gasp. "The DarkElements, oh my god!" he practically shouted, staring at the kids in front of him with wide eyes. "Do you know who you are?"

"Yeah," Rhuben replied, arching an eyebrow. "You just said who we were."

"This is Riley," Logan motioned towards Riley, who gave a short wave, "Rhuben," Rhuben nodded, "Patrick," Patrick gave a peace sign, "Noah," Noah gave a brief smile, "and Sydney Jackson." Logan turned towards Sydney, giving him a smile. "You wouldn't remember me as you were only one year old the last time I saw you. But, I'm Logan. Logan Mitchell."

"Hi," Sydney waved a small hand in the air.

"You mean…you weren't kidding? You really did know them?" James asked, giving his friend a shocked look. For years, Logan has been trying to convince his friends that he actually knew who the DarkElements were, but no matter how many times he told his friends, they wouldn't believe him. They thought he had made the story up during his move from Texas to Minnesota as a way of making new friends.

"I told you," Logan replied simply with a shrug. "Back when I was in Texas Riley, Rhuben, and I were best friends. We lived in the same neighborhood."

"You don't sound like you're from Texas," Carlos said wrinkling his nose.

"Ah, we're Australian, mate," Patrick explained, his accent instantly filling his voice. "We were all born there, and then we moved to Texas and then we moved out to Los Angeles." He made a clicking sound with his cheek. "That's just the shortened version of our story, anyway."

"So you're Gustavo's new boy band," Riley commented, looking them each up and down, crossing her arms over her chest. "Good luck." She then peered at them. "How'd you even get discovered? It's not easy for Gustavo to find his 'fire.'" Rhuben pinched Riley's elbow, but she didn't say anything.

"Minnesota was the last city Gustavo went to try and find his 'fire'," Kendall explained, "Logan, Carlos, and James auditioned. He said that James had no talent so I sang him the 'Giant Turd' song and he wanted me to come to LA. But, I wasn't going to do it without my friends." He gave Patrick a small smile. "That's just the shortened version of our story, anyway." Patrick chuckled.

"Giant turd?" Sydney repeated, making a face.

"Just wait until you hear them sing the song," Carlos replied.

"Actually, it's not that much better than it sounds," Logan said with a short laugh.

"Who even knew a song like that could get us a big break like this?" James asked, an easy going smile on his face. "I mean, that never happened in my pop star dreams. They're normally filled with my being discovered by singing Stevie Wonder songs."

"Riiight," Riley replied, giving him an odd look.

"So, how's your career going?" Logan asked after a pause of silence.

"It won't go much farther if we don't hurry up," a voice called out.

"Hi, daddy," Sydney said as the Jacksons turned to face Robert as he walked over to them.

"We're going to be late if we don't get going right now," Robert said, tapping the watch on his wrist. He then turned towards the four boys, leaning forward slightly in a introductory way. "Hello, I'm their father, Robert Jackson."

"We were just finishing up, dad," Rhuben said, brushing her hair behind her ears. She put her arm around Sydney's shoulders, turning way from Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan. "Let's go."

"Well," Carlos said, making a popping sound with his lips, "they seemed nice."

Logan just shrugged, watching them leave. "Come on, let's get back upstairs so I can get changed." He then started to waddle his way into the Palm Woods, trying not to drip a lot of water into the apartment complex. As soon as they reached their apartment, he headed into the bathroom to dry himself off, James loudly calling after him to _not_ use his hair dryer.

"Mom, what am I going to do all day long?" Katie whined as the boys grabbed pieces of fruit out of the bowl sitting on the counter, moving to sit, anyplace they could find that wasn't so dirty looking.

The apartment still so uncomfortable in its newness (and grossness) seemed more awkward now, bags lying out everywhere with clothes spilling out of it. No one really trusted the dressers to put their clothes in. She felt awkward and out of place here, like a traveler in a foreign country where she didn't speak the language or know the history, while the natives talk of people and places she knew nothing about.

Amidst all the fashionably clad, nose up in the air business types, her casual jeans and ponytail seemed out of place, and she knew that she would not be truly comfortable until she found a way to conform, which she didn't want to do, or to get friends, which she couldn't find as she was one of the youngest kids at the Palm Woods and she didn't get out much. But until then she didn't have a choice but to try to find her own place among them. What choice did she have after all?

"It's bad enough that I get dragged out here, but there's nothing for me to do while 'Mr-Boy-Band' is out with his friends all day," she continued to complain, jerking her thumb in Kendall's direction.

"Hey, I have an idea, Katie," Kendall said with a grin, taking a large bite out of his apple. "Why don't you preoccupy yourself and make me scrambled eggs?"

"How about I scramble your brain?" Katie shot back, giving her brother an annoyed look. She then gave him a mock look of compassion. "Oh wait, I forgot, it already is scrambled."

"Kids," Mrs. Knight said in a final tone, lifting her cup of coffee to her face. She was sitting at the head of the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. "Kendall, why don't you take Katie down to the studio?"

"No!" Kendall cried, a shocked look on his face. "Mooooom. Don't make me bring her."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand the language of whining," Mrs. Knight gave Kendall a pointed look as she slowly lowered her coffee mug to the table. "Would it really be that bad if you took Katie with you?"

"Yes," Kendall declared. "I don't want to babysit her the whole time."

"Yeah, mom, I don't need a babysitter," Katie replied. "Especially not by Ken-doll!"

"You're taking her and that's final," Mrs. Knight said, and then raised her voice over her kids' protests. "I'm going job hunting today anyway so she wouldn't have any fun there."

"Great," Kendall muttered, rolling his eyes. He stuck his tongue out at Katie, who instantly did the same. The two of them laughed a little bit. No matter how mad or annoyed they got with each other, they still loved each other.

"We better get going then, or we're going to be late," Logan said as he came out of the bathroom, towel drying his hair. "And if we run there, I should be dry."

* * *

"YOU'RE 5 MINUTES LATE!"

Kendall made a face and wiggled his finger in his ear to get his hearing back. "Sorry, Gustavo, I had to bring my sister, Katie, with me today."

"And we're on time," Katie said looking at her watch. "It's 9:00."

"Its 9:10," Gustavo said marching over to the clock. "See?" He jabbed his finger into the clock, jumping back a little when it wobbled before crashing to the floor.

"That clock still isn't fixed yet?" Kelly asked, shaking her head as she came up behind the group, peering at the clock. She grabbed the clock off of the floor and put it back up on its hook. She then reached out her hand and slapped the side of the clock, knocking the minute hand back into place. "There we go."

Kendall and Katie exchanged amused glances. Gustavo glared at Kelly, but she was too busy looking up something on her BlackBerry. "DANCE STUDIO! NOW!"

"Is he always like that?" Katie asked as Kendall grasped her hand and rushed to the dance studio, following behind his friends.

"You have no idea," Kendall replied with a sigh.

"Alright, dogs, come here," Gustavo shouted, clapping his hands together. "Mr. X has decided to give you all one last shot at getting this right. Remember, we have _two days _to whip you into boy-band shape."

"Mr. X?" Katie asked, raising her eyebrows. "What kind of name is that?" She then put her hands on her hips. "And what happened to three _mo_—" Kendall slapped a hand over Katie's mouth when Gustavo glared at him.

"For your information, Mr. X has choreographed for Boy Quake, Beyonce, and Yo Gabba Gabba," Gustavo replied. He then peered down at Katie. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"She's my _sister_, Gustavo," Kendall repeated, annoyed look crossing his face. "I just told you that I had to bring her today!"

"NO VISITORS DURING REHEARSAL!" Gustavo shouted.

"But, Gustavo-"

"No excuses!"

"Stop yelling, you need to keep your blood pressure down," Kelly said with a heavy sigh as she looked up from her clipboard and her phone. Gustavo grunted in reply as Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos exchanged amused glances.

"What am I supposed to do while they're _trying_ to dance?" Katie demanded, throwing her arms in the air. Gustavo ignored her, grabbing Kelly's Blackberry out of her hand.

"Ok," Gustavo shouted, getting all the attention back on him, "dancing until noon, wardrobe until 3:00, harmonies until 6:00 and harmonies until 9:00."

"You said harmonies twice," Logan pointed out.

"Last time I checked, _you_ beatboxed at the audition," Gustavo shoved a finger in Logan's face. Logan rapidly nodded. He then moved over to Carlos. "_You_ farted into the microphone." Carlos grinned and nodded before letting out a laugh at the memory. "_And you_ have no talent!"

"No, no, I _have_ talent," James smiled. "I can prove it to you; just listen to the whole song." He cleared his throat before letting out a deep breath of air. He started snapping his fingers. "People say, I'm the life of the party because-"

"STOP! NOW!" Gustavo put a hand up in front of James's face.

"Sorry, sir," James gave a short nod.

"_That's_ why we need to work on harmonies," Gustavo replied.

"You haven't even given them a chance," Kendall protested. "They can sing, I've heard them. Well…Logan's not as great and he wants to be a doctor but-"

"We get it," Logan cut Kendall off. "Now, onto the most important question: when do we get a break?"

"Breaks?" Gustavo asked with a chuckle. He started laughing out loud. "You don't get any breaks. Do dogs ever great breaks when they're training for those…dog competitions?"

"Well, they get treats," Carlos said with a shrug. "Ooh! Can we have a treat?"

Logan blinked before jumping back to his topic. "W-we can't go for hours without something to eat or drink. We'll get dehydrated and pass out."

"Yeah, and when do we get to talk to wardrobe stylists about what outfits we want to wear?" James asked, ignoring Logan. "You know how Carlos has the helmet? Well, I want my thing to be _bandanas_! I mean, they're stylish, and they help keep my hair out of my gorgeous face."

"Look," Kelly said, briefly closing her eyes, "we only have two days left and a lot to get through. Let's just try and get through this one step at a time, ok?" Carlos gave her a pleading look, sticking out his bottom tongue. She elbowed Gustavo in the side. Hard. "Give them breaks." Carlos made a whimpering sound and Kelly elbowed Gustavo again. "_And _treats."

"Fine," Gustavo said, rubbing at his side, "if it would get you to _stop doing that_!"

..

.

"I. Can't. Move," Logan groaned as he tried to pull himself up with one of the bars in the back of the dance studio.

"Do you mean physically, or were you commenting on your dancing?" James asked, breathing heavily.

"Normally, I would shoot back a smart comment, but I'm too tired," Logan muttered.

"Yeah, and I'm too tired to laugh," Carlos added.

"Alright guys, wardrobe time, let's go," Kelly said as she opened the door to the dance studio. She paused and looked around the room. "Where's Mr. X?"

"He left in tears," Kendall winced as he got to his feet. "He says we're "un-teachable." He let out a mix of a groan and a cry. "And I thought a hockey check was bad."

"Come on you guys," Kelly said pulling the boys up off the floor, resulting in a circle of groans all around her.

"Kelllly," Kendall groaned, practically falling back to the floor as soon as he was back on his feet.

"Idiots," Katie commented, putting a hand to her head.

"Come on, you're going to be late," Kelly said pushing them out the door. She glanced at her phone as she pushed them out."You'll have a break soon, I promise."

* * *

**A/N: **And there's the next chapter. I know, it's still a slow start, but now it's the introduction of my OCs. Thanks for reading this guys! Btw, this is now kind of a re-write of "Welcome to the Big Time" and my other fic "Adrenaline Rush."

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	6. Big Time Rush

**~6~**

The next morning, Kendall could barely get out of his bed, and for a brief moment, he didn't even know where he was. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the stained ceiling of the apartment, his upper lip curling. It was the only thing he could move without it hurting, besides his eye lashes.

Gustavo worked them hard into the night that night, trying to get some progress out of them. Their clothes weren't right, their dancing was horrible, which made Mr. X quit _again_, and they got into a sports drink and pillow fight which caused damage to the sound booth they were in and covered them with feathers. And Gustavo had it; he fired them on the spot. This only caused more conflicts as James blamed everything on everyone, which made everyone mad at _him_. And that made Kendall upset.

He didn't even want to do this in the first place, and after they had made their pact that California wouldn't change them, they were already arguing with each other. And it wasn't the type of arguments where he could tell his friend's didn't mean what they said to each other, but it seemed like they were actually taking jabs at each other, and Kendall hated it. And while Katie was the one to get them to stop fighting (by pushing them into the pool, and complaining that it was their fault that she didn't have anything to do in California), it was a surprise visit from the Jacksons that really got them to change their mind.

_"So, Gustavo fired you just because you weren't doing what he was asked?" Riley asked as she and her siblings stood over the four boys as they sat around a self-contained bonfire, drying off their clothes. She gave them a look of mock sympathy for a moment. "Excuse him for wanting things to go his way."_

_"Riles," Rhuben said in a warning tone, giving her sister a warning look._

_"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Logan asked, shifting in his seat to get another spot of his clothes dry._

_"Dad just gave us the news that Gustavo didn't need our help anymore," Riley replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "He sent us to figure out what's up. Not all that surprised though, Gustavo hates asking for help."_

_"It's not that bad I guess," James said with an odd smile. "I can stay here and be a model. I mean, I'm still great looking." He looked over at the two girls, giving them a wink. "Right?" The twin girls silently raised their eyebrows but didn't say anything as they exchanged glances, shifting their weight from one foot to the other. He didn't seem bothered by their lack of answers. "Or I could be the star of a reality show."_

_"Which one?" Carlos asked, an edge to his tone. "Project Idiot?"_

_James let out a patient sigh, "That's just your jealousy talking."_

_"Wouldn't do that, mate," Patrick said with a shake of his head, "it's all fake."He scratched his jaw. "What'd you call it; Diamond in the Rough?"_

_"There's an idea!" James said, snapping his fingers. Noah's lips twitched in amusement._

_"Face it, we blew it," Logan said, throwing his arms in the air. "You heard Gustavo; 'the band of dogs is officially dead'."_

_"What do you think, Eyebrows?" Riley asked, turning towards Kendall, who had been quiet the whole time, staring down at his feet. Kendall looked up, but didn't say anything._

_"You're the reason they're out here," Sydney quietly pointed out, "what do you think about all this?"_

_Kendall stayed silent, picking at his fingernails for a moment before he started to sing. "Oh, you're such a turd,oh yeah, a giant turd, and you look like a turd and you smell like a turd." He looked up at the Jacksons. "That's what I think."_

_"So, _that's_ that Giant Turd song?" Sydney asked and Kendall nodded. He let out a small laugh. "That's funny. And you _really _sang it to Gustavo?"_

_"We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kendall and that song," James said, clapping Kendall's shoulder._

_"It's too bad," Rhuben said with a sigh, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets, "we could've helped you out; made you good, the next big thing and all that jazz." She shrugged. "We don't help people that are fired."_

_"We should do this," Kendall said, getting to his feet. "Seriously. I mean, we never even got a chance to sing with you guys." He turned to face his friends. "There are three things that I've learned since I've been here. 1; I love singing, 2; I love singing with my best buds, and 3; it's minus eight degrees in Minnesota right now, and I'm in love with this pool."_

_"Who are you guys anyway?"Noah spoke up for the first time. Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan snapped their heads towards him, as if wondering if he actually talked. "Four guys from Minnesota? Four hockey players?"_

_"We're…Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan," Kendall slowly replied, not sure whether or not what Noah was asking was a trick question._

_"Wrong," Noah said shaking his head. "In Minnesota, you were four individuals acting like a group. Here in LA, with his opportunity, you're a group of four individuals. You're…have you even come up with a band name yet?"_

_"Dog Squad!" Patrick said with a grin, clearly pleased with himself. Everyone turned to look at him. "No?"_

_"The point is work can be fun, but work is also serious," Riley said, putting her hand in front of Patrick's mouth, stopping him from talking. "Gustavo's job is on the line and the only thing you 'dogs' have done is goof off and not make things easy for him. It's not easy for any of you guys. You have to learn to work together, despite all the constant yelling and put downs, if this is really what you want to do."_

_"Oh, it is," James said with a smile._

_"Guys, we don't quit," Kendall said, briefly nodding in Riley's direction. "We're four hockey playing brothers from Minnesota; we always work together and we always have each other's backs. Now, are we going to dump the puck and amble back to the bench or are we gonna grab that puck, pull the goalie, and rush the net big time?" He put out his fist. "Opportunities like this only come once in a life time, remember? So what's the play? Dump the puck or big time rush?"_

_"Big Time Rush," James said with a grin, putting his hand on top of Kendall's._

_"Dude, I'm totally in," Carlos said with a grin, sliding his helmet onto his head, slapping it twice. He slapped his hand on top of James's. "Big Time Rush."_

_"Why not, I mean, we're already out here?" Logan asked with a sigh, putting his hand on top of Carlos's hand. "Don't forget, I still want to be a doctor. But for now, Big Time Rush."_

_"Big Time Rush," Kendall finalized with a nod, putting his free hand on top of Logan's. "Now, that we have that figured out, we just have to convince Gustavo to take us back."_

_"I think we can handle that," Patrick said with a grin, holding his hand out to Riley, wiggling his fingers. Riley reached into her pocket and slapped her phone into his palm._

They managed to get Gustavo to agree to meet them early that morning, leaving them enough time to spend the rest of the day to work on everything they needed before their performance before Griffin. The Jacksons also convinced their dad and their music producer to join the meeting as well, to continue their proposed jobs of working with the four boys, helping them out. However, for the rest of that night, Gustavo pushed them hard, as if he was testing to see if they were true to their word. But, they wouldn't have it any other way. (Well they would, but they weren't going to complain about it.)

Kendall's muscles groaned as he swung his legs out of bed, and he got to his feet to change. Hearing a shuffling sound, he looked down in enough time to see sheets of paper fluttering to the ground. The words "Big Time Rush" stared back up at him and he smiled. Feeling something on his face, Kendall reached up and pulled a pencil off of his cheek.

He briefly wondered how it got there, but quickly remembered that he stated up late, trying to think of what their new song could possibly be called. After deciding on naming themselves as the band, Big Time Rush, they decided to try and write a song with the same title. He didn't know how far he got before he fell asleep.

Stretching his arms over his head, Kendall was surprised to see Logan's bed was already empty. But, after he changed and made his way into the kitchen of the apartment, he had to do a double take when he saw his friends were already up and eating cereal.

"Morning," James chirped with a bright smile. "I was just about to wake you up, sleepy head."

"What's going on?" Kendall asked as he sat down in an empty chair, reaching for one of the last two cereal bowls on the table. "Where's mom and Katie?"

"Mrs. Knight went out to look for a job and Katie is still asleep," Logan replied, pouring cereal and milk into Kendall's bowl. "

"Looking for a job?" Kendall asked, a confused look on his face. "But, if this doesn't work out, we have to go home."

"Au contraire, my friend," Logan said, sticking a spoon into Kendall's bowl of cereal before forcing it into Kendall's mouth. He nearly choked on the cereal. "Despite not being the boy band Gustavo wants, we're still out for three months like originally planned. We could come up with something else. You know, go on a few auditions, make our own demo CD to shop around, that kind of thing."

"And it's all thanks to you," Carlos said, pausing in drinking his left over milk before letting out a loud burp. "And you realize that Katie would be pissed if we moved back before she got the opportunity to swindle some people here."

Kendall rolled his eyes because he knew that it was true. Katie would never admit to it, but he knew that the move was hard on her, despite her always wanting to see what LA was like. It was too sudden and she never got the chance to say goodbye to her friends or anything. Kendall wanted to make everyone happy, but he was having a hard time doing so. But, Katie was his family; he knew she would always love him and always support him. James on the other hand was different; once you got on his bad side, you were there for a long time and Kendall knew that this was more than a dream for James.

"Let's hope the meeting goes well, then," Kendall said with a heavy sigh after he swallowed his cereal. "But, we can't keep Katie here."

"I'll be fine by myself for a few hours Kendall, don't worry about me," Katie said, announcing her presence as she made her way into the kitchen. She sat down in between James and Carlos, slapping Carlos's hand away from the CoCo Puffs box as he reached for it. "It's not like I have any friends around here to hang out with."

"I promise you that you'll make friends, Katie," Kendall said as Katie poured herself a bowl of cereal. "Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"_Yes, _Kendall," Katie said with a roll of her eyes."Geeze, I'm almost 13, I can take care of myself."

"…Fine," Kendall said after a moment of silence. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, James practically choked Kendall out as he launched out of his chair, wrapped an arm around Kendall's neck and dragged him towards the door in his excitement. "_Dude_! Can I eat first?"

* * *

"DOGS. IN YOUR SEATS. NOW!" Gustavo shouted, crossing his arms over his chest as the four boys walked into the conference room of Rocque Records. As usual, he was wearing dark sunglasses in doors, but the boys knew he meant business. They jumped and quickly rushed to take their seats on the side of the table Gustavo was indicating to.

"Calm down, Gustavo," Kelly scolded him as she walked into the room carrying a clipboard in one hand and a cell phone in another. "We _are _the ones that are early anyway." Then an annoyed look crossed her face. "Besides, _you_ were the one who changed your outfit _five _times before deciding."

"And you _still_ chose a pretty horrible outfit for your skin complexion," James stated, peering at Gustavo through narrow eyes. "You see, you're more of a _winter_ and what you're wearing is definitely-" He trailed off when Gustavo slowly turned and glared at him. He laughed nervously. "Was-was that _me _talking?"

Seeing as Gustavo was now muttering things under his breath, Kelly sighed, and turned to face the boys. "As you know, we're working out the kinks of working with the other band, the DarkElements," Kelly explained. "Both bands are vying for the same age group with your music, and while the other band is more experienced than you, we're going to see if they're truly willing to help you out with the process of recording, writing, photo shoots, press conferences, stuff like that. Actions speak louder than words, you know."

"But?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"But, Gustavo and the manager of the other band, Robert, don't see eye to eye," Kelly rolled her eyes shaking her head. "They've been feuding for years, because Robert's band has been beating out every music group Gustavo has put together."

"Well…where are they?" Carlos asked, drumming his fingers on the table.

"They'll be here soon enough," Arthur Griffin replied, announcing his presence, as he walked into the office, a smile on his face. "Gustavo, go get us some coffee while we wait."

"But-" Gustavo stopped in mid sentence as Griffin took the seat at the head of the table. He then clenched his teeth and said through a fake smile, "Right away." Everyone watched as he bustled out of the room.

"Unbelievable," Kendall muttered, watching the exchange. Gustavo didn't seem like the type to let people boss him around.

"Ah, here they are now," Griffin smiled as he got to his feet.

"Really?" Carlos asked, looking around wildly.

"No, the coffees. Good man, Gustavo," Griffin smiled over at Gustavo as he made his way into the room carrying a tray with cups of coffee. Griffin patted Gustavo on the head before grabbing a cup of coffee for himself and for Kelly. He started adding cream and sugar to his. "Sit sit, they should be here at any minute."

"They're going to be late, Griffin, that's unprofessional," Gustavo stated as he dropped into his seat. "They better have a good explanation for it."

"We do, Gustavo, but it doesn't concern you at all," a man with dark hair and grey eyes stated as he pushed the door open to the office. Like Gustavo, he was wearing a nice suit and tie. Robert Jackson led a younger looking man into the room, shortly followed by his kids. Sydney gave a small wave as they took their seats.

"Sorry we're late," the younger man smiled as he made his way down the side of the table that Big Time Rush was sitting at, shaking their hands. "I'm Ronan McGuire, their music producer. One of them slept through their alarm clock this morning."

"Unprofessional," Gustavo coughed, eyeing the older man with a challenging look.

"As is wearing a suit with…what is that…a coffee stain?" Robert shot back, the side of his mouth curling up into a smirk before he turned to the boys. "As you know, I'm Robert Jackson, and these are my kids, Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney." The kids gave small waves when their names were called.

"Could we get started, please?" Riley asked stiffly, folding her arms on the table, showing off a studded wrist band on her right wrist and a black and red checked sweat band on her right. She had a silver and red ring around her index finger on her right hand.

"Certainly," Griffin replied as Robert and Ronan took the last two seats at the table. "As you all know, Gustavo fired the four boys from Minnesota, however, they wanted to set up this meeting to get their jobs back. Now boys, you are aware that you have only a day and a half left before you have to perform for me and the CEO of RCM CBT Gobalnet Sanyoid?"

All eyes instantly went to Kendall. He cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, we do, and—"

"and you're aware the DarkElements don't work under Rocque Records, they work over at Blazing Phoenix Records under the guidance of Ronan McGuire and have been doing so for years now?" Griffin asked. Kendall opened his mouth and Griffin cut him off again. "And they don't have to help you but are doing so out of the kindness of their hearts?"

"Griffin, I've been in this line of work for years now, and I think I know what I'm doing when it comes to getting the results I want for my bands," Gustavo stated as calmly as possible. Kendall threw his hands in the air, leaning back in his chair. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get a word in edgewise. "We've just had a minor set back with Mr. X and the two stylists we've hired. While, I'm normally against hiring a BAND LIKE HIS to help me DO MY WORK, I understand I'm in a bit of a sticky situation."

"Last time I checked, we're still beating record sales for your Boy Quake album," Robert calmly replied, crossing his arms over his chest, giving Gustavo an even look.

"This will help benefit both bands, Gustavo," Griffin stated, the smile never leaving his face. He could feel the tension in the room but learned to ignore it as the two men always argued whenever they were around each other. "Your band will gain more popularity once the fans know about the DarkElements helping them out, giving tips and all that. While I'm not the one to deviate from my normal plans, this is a win-win situation should it work out. I'm trusting you with this, Gustavo."

"We, that is to say, Ronan and I, have come up with a suggested contract," Kelly said, lifting a wad of paper out from one of the folders she had sitting in front of her, "it describes that they'll only be working with us until the release of our second album, and their strong points will be worked into this single contract, such as Rhuben would serve as choreographer for the band at no extra charge."

Gustavo glared at Ronan and he flinched a little bit. "And they could help Big Time Rush on a personal level," Ronan explained after clearing his throat. "They could tell them what to do or say during interviews, how to dress, stuff like that. Like Kelly suggested, Rhuben with choreography, Riley could help out with wardrobe, and other things like that."

"Yeah, we saw their ideas for..what was it…Red, White, and Boy?" Riley asked with a smirk as she looked each of the boys over. Kendall shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "And Danger Boy, oh, and Boy-licious. We couldn't stop laughing."

"_Riley_," Robert and Ronan hissed in unison.

"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?" Gustavo shouted at her. Riley flinched badly, covering it up with a yawn and an arm stretch.

The other Jacksons flinched and closed their eyes for a brief moment, shifting uncomfortably in their seats. "I would highly recommend you don't yell at my kids, Gustavo," Robert warned in a quiet tone, his grey eyes narrowing.

"Man, this rivalry must've been going on for a while," James whispered to Carlos. "They're snapping at each other about everything." Carlos nodded in reply.

"Gustavo, how old are your…uh, _dogs_?" Robert asked, glancing at Big Time Rush. "16? 17? Sure, they'll relate to all of the teenage girls out there, but my kids are 16, 13, and 9, a pretty wide age range, that help attract all kinds of people. Not to mention they write their own songs and play their own instruments. Riley is their wardrobe stylist, Rhuben is their choreographer and so on, they learned how to do things for themselves and to appeal to a wide audience." He then smirked over at Gustavo. "Not to mention they don't generally revolve their songs around one word."

"Kudos," Gustavo growled through clenched teeth.

"An excellent point," Griffin said with a pleasant smile. It was like he didn't notice the tension at all.

"Anyway, it's a win-win situation we're putting you in Gustavo," Ronan stated, clearing his throat. It was obvious he was trying to bring down the tension in the room. "With both of our bands working together, we don't have to have a feud about sales records, or seeing who' the better band. You could get more publicity with us helping you out. Think of it, if we collaborate, it's more fans that will like both bands."

"I think it's a good idea," Kelly stated after a moment of silence. "We don't want another repeat of a failed boy band, do we? Gustavo, this is your job that's on the line. And what other choice do we have? We only have a day and a half."

"Whether he wants to take it or not, I've made up the decision, that we _will_ be going along with this collaboration," Griffin announced, clapping his hands together. "I want to hear good things coming from you soon. But first, I want you to hear how great of a band they are."

"Sing _It's Been a Summer_," Robert commanded, turning to his kids.

"Dad, that song is so old," Riley stated, looking up at him. Kendall immediately noticed that she was the one doing the most talking. "That's the only song people first know by us. And-"

"And it's the song that got you recognized by Ronan," Robert replied in a tight voice.

"Actually, it was _Don't Stop Believing_," Rhuben corrected him, leaning back in her chair to look up at him. She let out a heavy sigh when she saw the annoyed look on his face. He hated being corrected, especially in front of other people like Griffin and Gustavo. She started snapping her fingers to mark the pace of the song and her siblings quickly joined.

"I'm cracked from my head down to my spine," Riley sang, closing her eyes. "Ready to self destruct, at any time."

"And I'm trying to convince myself that the way I feel is all I have," Patrick joined Riley in singing, but he kept his gaze down at his lap as he played with his tie. He looked up, brushing his hair out of his face and sang by himself next. "It could take a lifetime, to realize that you're alright."

"But you said," Rhuben and Noah.

"I know when you would come back, it's been a summer," Sydney was the only one who looked happy to be singing. Dimples appeared in his cheeks as he smiled and kicked his legs back and forth in his seat.

"It's burning up in here, even though the bed is cold on your side, I'd rather die, than spend this night here without you," all five of them sang, their voices easily mixing together. "Now it's burning up in here, even though the bed is cold on your side, I'd rather die, than spend this night here without you."

"Without you," Sydney finished the last line of the chorus, his voice wavering in a way that only a professional singer could do. He smiled and nodded his thanks when Big Time Rush started clapping.

"Wow, they're really good, especially since they're so young," James whispered to his friends. "They can really help us out. We'll be performing at sold out concerts in no time."

"They don't seem to keen on the idea though," Logan whispered back, peering at all of the Jacksons. "Of anything, I think Robert and Ronan are more open with it." _Maybe it's just because we're new. They know what it's like, how hard it is. They'll come around; it'll just take some time_.

"So, what do you say?" Robert asked, offering his hand towards Gustavo. He had his eyebrows raised in anticipation. "Let myself, Ronan, and my kids help you out?"

"…Fine," Gustavo replied, grabbing Robert's hand, shaking it. He grinned to himself as he tightened his hold, trying to crush the man's hand. He could feel Kelly elbow him in the side, telling him to stop, but he took pleasure in the brief look of pain that passed through Gustavo's eyes.

"Great, I have some really good ideas I think you'd love to hear," Ronan smiled over at Kelly, motioning to his clipboard. "Do you have any place where we could go talk?" He gave the kids an easy going smile. "Let's see how the next day and a half goes, and then we can draw up final contracts."

"You really think it'll go that well?" Kelly asked as she got up from her seat.

"Yup," Ronan replied with a grin and a nod.

"Follow me," Kelly replied, gathering her things.

"Wait in the lobby for us when you're done," Robert straightened his tie and placed a hand on top of Sydney's head. "Be good." Sydney silently nodded as Robert, Ronan, and Kelly left the room.

"So, if you're hockey players? Why do you want to be singers?" Riley asked. Kendall blinked at her tone. He didn't know if it was pitying or actual curiousity, but he got a bad feeling from it. He hated being judged by people.

Logan cleared his throat, sitting up in his seat. "James really wants to be a singer and to be famous. We auditioned as a show of support but he got axed. Kendall sang this turd song about Gustavo—" Gustavo made a loud grunting sound—"and Gustavo wanted him, but Kendall wasn't going to come out here unless Gustavo made us a singing group."

"You're crazy," Riley stated, looking them all in the eye. "Fame isn't something that's going to be handed to you on a silver platter. It's a lot of hard work and there will be days were you go without sleep. You'll have people bashing you and telling you what to do, you'll hardly see your families, and there are days you'll want to quit." She then sighed heavily. "But then again, who's to say what's crazy in this world?" She tilted her head to the side. "You _are_ working for Gustavo."

"Watch it, girlie," Gustavo growled and Riley gave him a sweet smile.

"Your dad doesn't seem much different," Carlos defended a frown on his face.

"You've hit the nail on the head, there, mate," Rhuben commented. "He's our _dad_. He wants us to do well." She sounded like she was trying to convince everyone in the room of that.

"And he's only like that when Gustavo is around, they've been fighting for years now," Patrick waved his hand in the air and crossed his arms over his chest. "You sure this is what you really want to do?"

"It's his dream," Kendall replied evenly, looking over at James who smiled. "Nothing's going to stop him from doing what he loves to do. And if that means that we're going to have good days and bad days and have to deal with Gustavo, then so be it." He shrugged. "All I wanted to do was be a professional hockey player, but now that I've moved out here, I'm starting to enjoy myself."

"Which is saying something considering a lot of hopefuls that come out here don't really prosper," Patrick stated, speaking up after a while, leaning back in his chair. "We think you have a lot of potential and could go far." He then cracked a grin. "With our help of course. Not to have a big ego."

"God forbid," Noah commented in a quiet tone and Sydney giggled.

"I can't believe you do all that stuff yourself," James said, his voice filled with awe. "How does that all work out and everything? Like, who's the leader of your group?"

"Why?" Riley asked, her eyes narrowing. The words were barely out of James's mouth when she shot back with that reply.

"Just wondering," James muttered, blinking in surprise. Rhuben elbowed her twin in the side.

"Well, technically speaking it's me, with Rhubes as my right hand," Riley replied, jerking her thumb into her chest. "Patrick and Noah write most of the song lyrics as Sydney works out the melody and stuff. Mainly I make all the decisions and while everyone gets their thoughts heard, what I say goes." She gave her siblings a full blown smile and they smiled back. "They may hate me for it, but we've been successful because of it. But, we don't like to think of it that way. We all work together."

"And I'm assuming you're the whole 'All For One and One For All' type, yeah?" Rhuben started to twist back and forth in her seat. "Follow our suggestions and you'll come good." All of Big Time Rush gave her an odd look, not really knowing what she had just said. "So, what was it that you wanted to say to Gustavo?"

"Uhhh, right," Kendall said, turning to face their music producer. "We'll do everything your way." Gustavo's eyebrows shot up. "No goofing off, no pillow fights, and no question for the next day and a half."

"Ok," Gustavo replied, looking pleased, leaning back in his chair. "Girl Talk from the top."

"Oh, except that," Kendall quickly added after he was prodded in the arm by Logan. "We _really_ don't want to sing Girl Time."

"What?" Gustavo spluttered, slamming back into the table. "Oh! Well, let me guess! You have a BETTER idea DON'T YOU? Well, let's hear it!"

"Big Time," the four boys replied in unison, "Rush." Gustavo snorted, shaking his head.

"It's a song about four hockey players from Minnesota who have an amazing opportunity in front of 'em," Kendall replied before Gustavo could yell at them again. "And they're going to take their best shot…_we're_ going to take our best shot."

"…..I like it also," Gustavo grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. He slapped his hands down onto the table. "Get ready to sweat, boys. We're going to be here _alllllll night._"

_Good job! That's how you take initiative. Don't let anybody walk all over you, you understand? Don't be the weak person I know you are! Take charge!_

* * *

**A/N: **So, I'm going to skip the performance for Griffin and everybody, because I really don't need to show it. But, I hope you guys like this chapter.

**Note from Riley: **For those of you who don't know, I'm taking a break from uploading a new fic until March (or mid-March). I'm working on finishing my Suite Life fic _Out of Doubt_ right now, and then I'll be taking the break. But, I'll still be posting one-shots from time to time. On our tumblr page, we have a portion for 'Upcoming Fics' if you could check that out and then message us here, or on tumblr, or tweet us, or whatever, you ideas of what I should do next, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	7. Parts of their New Lives

**~7~**

Mrs. Knight wearily wound her way through the busy pedestrian traffic between the sidewalk she was previously on and her destination; the coffee shop. She had been out since early that morning looking fr a job to help pay rent for the apartment in the Palm Woods (besides the fact that Gustavo had offered to pay for it. She was the type who liked to work to feel like she was giving back, so they came to an agreement that she'd help pay off the rent.)

She had been on her feet all morning, and hadn't found anything, which made her feel even more sluggish. But, she knew exactly what would perk her up, a great big steaming mug of her favorite coffee, and a relaxing afternoon away from her kids and their friends.

Mrs. Knight quickly crossed another road, almost reaching the coffee shop. A few minutes later, she finally arrived at the entrance. Not realizing there was someone else at the other end of the door, she was pushed to the ground by the door opening by itself. Or by someone.

"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry, miss!" a man, with dark brown hair apologized as he pulled Mrs. Knight up. She wasn't that hurt, just a scrape on her elbow. He gave a small frown when he saw the bright red area. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it, it's just a small scrape," Mrs. Knight replied as she got to her feet, brushing her clothes and the seat of her pants free of dirt.

"So, you are?" the man asked Mrs. Knight politely, taking an opportunity to introduce himself. "I'm Ronan. Ronan McGuire. I'd like to be able to apologize properly."

"Kacy," Mrs. Knight replied. "Kacy Knight." Ronan glanced back into the coffee shop and offers her a smile before shaking her hand.

"Since I made you fall and all," he suggested. "Would you mind if I buy you a cup of coffee and a muffin? My treat."

"Uh.." Mrs. Knight hesitated, about to turn him down. But her feet suddenly started throbbing. "Why not?" Mrs. Knight replied with a sigh. "I really need it."

"After you," Ronan said with a smile as he opened the door of the coffee shop, Java Joe's, swinging his arm to motion her inside first. "And pick out whatever you want."

Mrs. Knight walked through the door of Java Joe's and the warming smell of coffee filled her nostrils and warmed her to the core. She couldn't help but let out a relaxed sigh, smiling. She immediately spotted the rack of packets listing different flavors of coffee and her eyes landed on one she recognized the most, Chocolate Irish Cream. To her surprise there was only one packet left on the shelf.

She was the only person she knew back home in Minnesota that liked to drink the flavor so this was a shock to her. She reached her hand out to pick up the final packet at the same time Ronan did. They turned to face each other, shocked and embarrassed looks on their faces.

"Oh, sorry!" They exclaimed in unison. "You take it." They both let go of the packet and watched as it fell to the floor, slowly turning over and over as it fell. The sound of coffee beans spilling on the floor broke them both out of their trance and they simultaneously bent down to scoop up the freed coffee beans, their heads colliding as they leant over. "Ouch!" They both exclaimed as they stood upright, before they burst into laughter.

The owner of the coffee shop hurried out from behind the counter shouting, "You crazy youngsters, what you do to my shop, huh? Look, beans everywhere, now I have clean!" He smiled as he spoke nevertheless before he disappeared behind the counter and returned seconds later with a brush and dustpan. "You two sit, sit! I bring coffee!"

"Maybe that's a good idea," Mrs. Knight joked as she sat down at the table he motioned to, rubbing the sore spot on her head. "How's your head?" They both grinned at the recent events that unfolded.

"Well, it certainly woke me up much more than I believe coffee could do!" Ronan chuckled out a reply as he dropped his hand. He settled down in his seat and took in the details of the woman across the table from him. Shoulder length rust colored hair, bright green eyes, and a friendly smile. Least he forgot the small lump that was appearing on her forehead where their heads had collided. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What makes you say that?" Mrs. Knight replied, sitting straight in her seat.

"I come in here every day on my lunch break, have been for the past four years I'd say," Ronan replied as he loosened the tie around his neck. Mrs. Knight noticed that while he looked the part of a business man on top, a nice button down shirt and a blue tie, he didn't look it from the waist down, dark wash jeans and blue converses. "And I've never seen you in here before."

"Well, your assumption is right," Mrs. Knight replied with a nod. "However, the fact that you've been coming in here four years straight is surprising to me." Her eyes then widened suddenly. "Oh, I hope I'm not making you late for work!"

Ronan lifted his hand and silenced her. "No worries," he replied. "Technically, I set when I work myself, but there are a few times where I _have_ to be at work." He then motioned to what he was wearing. "As you can see, my work is a little laid back. But, not to worry; I'd rather be here anyway."

"One of those days?" Mrs. Knight asked, tilting her head slightly.

"One of those days," Ronan repeated with a nod, agreeing with her. He then pursed his lips for a moment, peering closely at her. "Well excuse me for my lack of tact, but you look downright exhausted."

"One of those days," Mrs. Knight replied with a shrug. She looked up as the owner walked over, carrying a tray with two steaming hot cups of coffee on them, along with a container holding little capsules of milk and sugar. He set them down before pulling out two spoons from his apron pocket.

"Thanks, Greg," Ronan smiled as he immediately started dumping milk into his coffee. Mrs. Knight smiled her thanks, resting her hands on the warm cup. "And could we get some muffins too? Um, two lemon poppy seed, two blueberry, and a chocolate chip one for me." He then turned and gave Mrs. Knight a questioning look. "And for you?"

"Cranberry is fine," Mrs. Knight replied. She then turned back to Ronan as Greg, quickly wrote down the order, scurrying off. "I nearly overslept, I missed the bus. Then I broke the heel on one of my new shoes and had to wear my sneakers." She stuck her leg out from under the table to indicate to Ronan a slightly battered pair of bright green converses. "All to try and find a job. Which, as you know, isn't easy to find."

"You're right it's not," Ronan replied slowly as he blew on his coffee. He took a sip before licking his lips and sighing. "But, why move all the way out to California just to look for a job? Surely, you know it's harder here than practically anywhere else."

"Yes, I'm aware," Mrs. Knight replied. "I came here from Minnesota with my son, Kendall, my daughter, Katie, and his three friends, James, Carlos, and Logan. Long story short, my son and his friends are Gustavo Rocque's new up and coming boy band." She jumped when Ronan took a second sip of his coffee and started to choke on it. He hit himself on the chest with his fist before he started breathing normally. "Was it something I said?"

"_Yes_," Ronan replied, wiping away some of the tears that had built up in his eye.

"Oh, well, sor—"

"Don't apologize," Ronan interrupted her, coughing a little bit. "It's just, I know who Gustavo Rocque is and I know his band." He leaned back in his chair and gave her a weird smile. "So _they're_ Gustavo's new band. And, Kendall was it, is in it?"

"Yes," Mrs. Knight nodded in reply. "How do you know Gustavo?"

"If you're in my line of business, you know everybody," Ronan stated with a snort. Mrs. Knight just stared back at him and gave her an apologetic smile. "Obviously you didn't recognize my name."

"Am I supposed to?" Mrs. Knight asked. She couldn't tell if he was being cocky or was just curious.

"Well, most people do, but—"

"I'm sorry-"

"No, no!" Ronan waved his hand in the air. "Don't apologize, it's refreshing, trust me. Anyway, I'm a music producer as well."

"You don't look like one," Mrs. Knight commented, arching an eyebrow in amusement.

"To be honest, you don't look like you're looking for a job either," Ronan replied, mimicking her movement. "At least, you're not dressed like one." He then eyed the large purse hanging off her chair. "Kudos on the extra shoes idea at least."

"You don't dress like you produce music, Mr. McGuire," Mrs. Knight replied evenly.

"Ronan, please," Ronan replied, leaning back in his chair. "And if you work as high up as I do in this business, not to brag, you can pretty much wear what you want." He then tilted his head from side to side. "And decide when you actually get to work." He tapped his finger nails against his cup of coffee. "So, what kind of job are you looking for?"

Mrs. Knight let out a heavy sigh. "Something with flexible hours," she replied. "I don't have a car here, and neither of my kids or their friends can drive without an adult. They get picked up to go to Rocque Records every day, which helps."

"Why can't you just be a manager…stage mom….whatever they call it?" Ronan asked, arching an eyebrow. "Kinda like Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber's moms, I guess. They go around with their kids. You can make sure they're not over worked and stuff like that." He smiled. "You'd be a natural considering that's basically what a parent already does." He snapped his fingers. "Or your husband could help. Or did he not move with you?" He nodded towards the gold band on Mrs. Knight's left hand.

"Oh," Mrs. Knight muttered, twisting the ring back and forth on her finger. An uncomfortable look crossed her face. "I'm not married. Not anymore at least. My husband and I…we got a divorce."

"Oh," Ronan blinked. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," Mrs. Knight brushed her hair from her face. "This happened a while ago, when my kids were young. I just…it's hard for me to let go."

"I understand completely, don't worry," Ronan replied, waving his hand in the air.

"What about you? What does _your_ wife do?" Mrs. Knight asked before taking her first sip of her coffee. She smiled as the liquid instantly warmed her insides.

"I'm not married," Ronan replied showing off his bare left hand, "never have been for that matter. Don't have a girlfriend right now, either." He chuckled, stretching his arms behind his head. "I don't really have time to date right now. Some would say I just choose not to."

"That's not a bad thing," Mrs. Knight replied.

"No, but it stops it from sounding as pathetic as it is," Ronan replied, cracking another smile.

Greg chose that moment to bring over their muffins, one on a plate for Mrs. Knight and the others in a small box for Ronan. "Aw, look at you two together. Is cute, huh?" Both Mrs. Knight and Ronan exchanged looks as an awkward silence fell over them. "Oh, what I say? You two not looking cute now. Ah well, enjoy." Greg patted Ronan on the head before walking away.

"Well, that wasn't completely uncomfortable and totally embarrassing, was it?" Mrs. Knight grinned.

Ronan snorted, with a small eye roll. "No, it was totally uncomfortable and completely embarrassing." Mrs. Knight burst out laughing at this, spraying small crumbs of her muffin, which she started eating, across the table whilst almost choking at the same time. "Say it don't spray it!" She laughed harder.

"Stop it, you're killing me!" Mrs. Knight muttered, wiping away tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes as she regained her normal breathing. Ronan handed Mrs. Knight a paper napkin to wipe her eyes with.

"It's refreshing to have someone laugh at my sarcasm," Ronan commented with a smile. "Not a lot of people realize that sarcasm is how I show humor."

"My kids are like that from time to time so I'm used to it," Mrs. Knight replied. She was silent for a moment. "I'm worried about my youngest; Katie. The boys are always off at Rocque Records and while I'm out looking for a job, she has nothing to do."

"You could put her in some commercials or something," Ronan offered. "Do you have a picture of her?"

Mrs. Knight nodded, twisting in her seat to reach for her wallet. She reached into a small pocket and pulled out a picture of Kendall and Katie. The two of them were smiling brightly as Kendall held Katie in his arms, bridal style. He was wearing his hockey jersey, his forehead shinigng with sweat, hair wet, showing that he had just gotten off the ice.

"Yeah, I think she'd be perfect for commercials," he said as he looked over the picture, a smile on his face. He gave her a nod of thanks, handing the picture back to her. "But, I'm no casting director."

"I appreciate the thought, though," Mrs. Knight replied. She looked at her watch as it started to beep and let out a heavy sigh. "I've got to get going. With Katie being pulled out of school to be out here, I've got to home school her now while I find a way to pay for a tutor."

"You'll be in my prayers," Ronan joked as he started to pack up his thing as well. "I had a nice time talking to you."

"Me too," Mrs. Knight replied, hiking her purse up her shoulder. She offered her hand to his to shake. "Maybe I'll see you around."

"I'm usually in here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays" Ronan replied as he shook her hand. "Or I'll stop by late after work on Tuesdays and Fridays." He then paused, laughing in embarrassment. "Not to sound desperate for company."

"Most men your age are if they're not married," Mrs. Knight commented. Ronan raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"How old do you think I am?" he asked. Mrs. Knight peered at him and he gave a short shake of his head. "I'm 35." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Now, I know it's rude to ask a woman for their age, so I'm just going to make you feel better about your day by honestly stating that you don't look a day over 25."

"Thank you," Mrs. Knight replied, blinking once.

"I hope you find something," Ronan said as he grabbed the box of muffins, throwing a few bills down on the table. He led the way outside, holding the door open for her. "At least take into consideration what I said about being a stage mom. I think it'd be easy for you."

"I think I'll save that as a backup," Mrs. Knight replied with a smile. She let out a sigh. "Well, thank you for the coffee and muffin."

"It was my pleasure," Ronan replied, giving a mock bow. "It's a nice change of pace from spending the time by myself. It was nice." He gave her one final smile. "Good luck in your job search." He then spun on his heel and made his way down the street, whistling.

Mrs. Knight watched him leave for a moment before spinning on her heel and started walking in the opposite direction, a smile coming to her face. She reached into her phone as it started buzzing before answering it, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"_Mom, when are you going to be here_?" Katie's voice filled Mrs. Knight's ear. "_Kelly just called and said she's on her way to get the idiots and take them to school_."

"I'm on my way to the bus stop now, sweetie," Mrs. Knight replied, suddenly feeling tired. "I'll be there soon, I promise."

"_When are we going to move out of this dump, mom_?" Katie asked with a groan. Mrs. Knight could picture her face scrunching up into a look of disgust. "_Or at least fix it up. The guys got picked up for demos, do we not get anything_?"

"Everything will be fine, Katie, don't worry," Mrs. Knight replied with a sigh. "This is why I'm looking for a job, remember."

"_Mom, you don't understand. There was a _band-aid _stuck to the receiver. A _used _one_."

Mrs. Knight couldn't help but shudder and started walking faster. "Alright, I'm on my way. After schooling, we're going to do a deep scrub down of that apartment."

Katie groaned before hanging up.

* * *

"Come on, Kelly said she wanted to meet us soon." Kendall bounced up and down on his toes, rubbing his bare arms as he did so. He was standing in a tank top and boxers on a stool in the wardrobe department of Rocque Records as Riley slowly walked around him, a tape measure hanging around her neck. "She has something important to tell us."

James, Carlos, and Logan were all sitting on one of the couches in the corner of the room. Patrick was going through the racks of clothes, writing down on a clipboard whatever Riley told him, as well as things that he wanted to "borrow" from the place.

"I hope it's something cool," James said putting his bowl in the sink. His eyes lit up. "Oh, maybe we're collaborating with someone like Selena Gomez or Demi Lovato!"

"Keep dreaming," Riley said dryly as she walked past Kendall and over to the clothing rack closest to her.

"At least have some faith in us, Landy," Logan commented, watching her with his eyes.

"Maybe I'll change my mind when your album goes platinum," Riley commented, pushing some clothes aside to peer at a green t-shirt. "Until then, you're just four hockey players that got a lucky break." She then threw the shirt at him. "Put this on while I look for some pants for you."

"I still don't get why I just can't wear my hockey jersey," Kendall commented as he pulled the material over his head. "We're supposed to be showing our personalities, right?"

Patrick blinked as he looked over at Kendall. "Hockey's a _sport_," Patrick said slowly and deliberately as if the concept was lost on Kendall. Riley let out a loud laugh from wherever she was in the room. She walked over to them, throwing a pair of black pants at him.

"Here," she commented, before looking at his bare feet. "The Vans are fine, don't get rid of 'em." She then fixed her piercing blue eyes on him. "By the way, you _are_ keeping your personality."

Kendall blinked, his eyebrows knitted together, but jumped into the pants, before sliding on his shoes. He walked over to the full length mirror and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. And he couldn't deny that Riley knew what she was doing, despite being the same age as him. The green t-shirt made his eyes pop and it looked simple with his black pants and gray Vans, but the overall look (especially with the gray fedora that she just put on his head) put the whole outfit together.

It was somewhat similar to what he was told to wear when performing for Griffin. It took a while, but Riley and those who worked on the wardrobe team at Rocque Records were able to compromise on a look that actually suited the four boys:

Kendall was given a gray fedora, gray vest, over a black t-shirt, and dark pants, in more of a 'casual' comfortable look, but was told to stick mostly to greens and reds.

Logan was able to convincingly wear a button down shirt, a tie, and a black sweater vest over top of the tat with some dark wash jeans to keep up with his 'intellectual' personality, being told to stick with gray's, whites, and blacks.

James's clothes definitely showed off "the face" as he wore a green and black striped "lucky v-neck" (one of many that the stylist were quick to learn), a black vest, and light wash jeans, being told to mostly stick with darker colors, but any variation would work with his skin tone (much to his delight).

And Carlos was able to keep his helmet despite a long battle (and argument) trying to get him to get rid of it. He had a long sleeved bright blue shirt, with a hooded black vest over top, with camouflage shorts. He was told to stick mostly with blues and purples.

"Might want to hurry that up, mate," Patrick said, looking at his watch. "School starts in 15 minutes,"

"Wh-come again?" Logan asked, his eyes widening as he sat up straight on the couch.

"School," Riley replied, tugging at the back of Kendall's shirt to look at the tag. She took the clipboard from Patrick's hands and scribbled a note on it. "As in, the place where you learn things. It starts in 15 minutes."

"You don't think that's what Kelly was going to tell us, do you?" James asked, jumping ot his feet, rushing to Kendall's side, shaking his shoulder. Kendall reached out his hands to steady himself on t the mirror.

"How should I know?" Kendall asked, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, that _is_ what I was going to tell you," Kelly said as she made her way through the racks of clothes, her shoes _click-clacking_ behind her. Like usual, she had her gaze on the floor. "You start school at the Palm Woods today." The silence was broken as Carlos let out a cry of horror.

"You've got to be kidding me," James said with a small laugh. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not kidding," Kelly said shaking her head. "Anyone under the age of 18 has to go to school for 4 hours a day according to the _Actors, Singers, and Performers Association._" She then gave them a weird look. "Did you _really_ think you were going to get three months off from school?"

"Hope more than thought," Kendall replied with a sheepish grin.

Kelly rolled her eyes, reaching her hand up to rub her temples. "Did you even _look _at the pamphlets I gave you?" The four boys opened their mouths, but Kendall put up a hand, stopping them. "Don't even answer that question."

"So…we're coming here, and then school, and then _back _here?" Carlos asked, a confused look crossing his face. "That's too much walking."

"Which is why you'll be doing your schooling here," Kelly replied, pointing at the ground with her fingers.

"We're…taking classes…in a costume closet?" James asked slowly looking around. He looked to be half excited and half put off by the idea.

"No, genius, she means here at Rocque Records," Logan replied, slapping himself in the forehead. "It actually makes some sense, though. Since we'll already be here, we won't miss any rehearsal time or studio sessions."

"Bingo," Kelly replied, putting a finger to her nose. She then turned towards Riley and Patrick. "Thank you so much for coming in on your day off to squeeze them in on such short notice."

"No worries," Riley replied, waving her hand in the air. She started to pack up her things, grabbing her backpack by a table.

"Yeah, thanks…" Carlos trailed off, a look of panic on his face. Riley stopped what she was doing, facing him, waiting for him to finish his sentence. When it didn't look like Riley was going to supply his name, his eyes widened. "Rhuben?"

"Riley," Riley instantly replied. "Anyway, we have school too, so we got done in just enough time." She swung her backpack onto her back, looping her arms through the straps.

"Hey, how'd you get that bruise?" Logan asked, pointing at Riley's bicep forearm. Riley glanced at it, pulling down the sleeve of her shirt to cover it.

"Never play cops and robbers with my brothers," Riley replied with a small smile. Patrick scratched the back of his neck, blushing slightly. "They tie the ropes around your wrists too tight." She cleared her throat, and averted her gaze when she saw the uneasy look on Logan's face. "It's nothing, don't worry."

"I only came cause she promised me doughnuts," Patrick said to Kelly with a shrug and a lopsided grin, as if what Riley said hadn't even been mentioned. Kelly chuckled.

"Why can't we get doughnuts?" Carlos whined, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "That's not fair. I bet they get more breaks than we do."

"Yeah, but you don't know how hard we work," Riley muttered into Patrick's ear.

"I know that's right," Patrick whispered back with a heavy sigh. "Hoo roo." He gave a wave before following Riley out of the room. "We'll leave the keys at the front desk, Kelly."

"Thanks," Kelly shouted after them. "Come on boys, before you're late." Kelly turned on her heels, leaving the costume closet, heading down a hall. The boys groaned, following her to their classroom. Or what looked like a closet disguised as a classroom. "Your teacher will be here shortly; I'll be back in a little bit with your textbooks."

"At least it's a step up from the apartment," James commented as he sat down at one of the four tables in the small room. "It's clean."

"It's small," Carlos groaned as he dropped into another chair. "And we're going to be the only ones in here."

"Perfect," Logan said with a smile from where he was sitting, folding his hands in front of him on his desk, "that way we can get equal, and more attention, on our work than in a bigger class."

Kendall shook his head, closing his eyes. _This is what James has always dreamed about_? He looked around the small room, his upper lip curling. _All of this…the classroom, the apartment, just to be famous? Mom doesn't deserve that, and neither does Katie. _He looked up as Kelly returned with their books and a man named Mr. Smitty. _Something has to be done_.

"Let's at least give this a chance," Kendall said as he flipped open his math book. "It might not be so bad."

_That's it. Take the initiative. Don't let me down._

* * *

**A/N: **And from here on out, things start to go crazy as things would with BTR around. As you can see, the beginning part of this chapter was taken from _Adrenaline Rush,_ but the end was changed. Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie will be in this fic/series, but WayneWayne or Lizzie will be appearing first, and Dak later on. Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	8. Late Night Talks

**~8~**

_Seven year old Kendall's breath came out in puffs of air as he swallowed, slowly making his way around the ice covered pond. He was exhausted, sweat sliding down his face and the back of his neck, cooling himself off as his body heated up from all of the activity. He sucked in a deep breath and held it, savoring the cool feeling in his lungs and listening to the scraping sounds of his blades over the ice._

_Hearing a loud whistle, he let out a short breath of air, before taking off at a high speed, skating laps around a coned off area. His chest burned, his lungs felt like they had shrunk over the course of his practicing. When he got to his starting point, hands on his knees, breathing heavily, a hockey stick was shoved into his hands. He briefly glanced after the black puck that sent out across the ice before chasing after it._

"_You ready for the big game, Kendall? You've shown a lot of improvement over the year._"

_Kendall barely had any energy left to nod, skating after the puck but managed to get out an enthusiastic, "Yeah, coach, I'm ready for this!" _

_And he was. Hockey was his life. No matter how exhausted her got working out new plays or conditioning to move faster up and down the rink, it showed when it was game time, and he loved playing hockey games._

I hope_, he thought, sighing to himself, briefly glancing over at his coach, who watched him move up and down the pond, weaving in and out of cones, skating forwards, and backwards, showing off his skills. Despite how confident he was on the outside, there was the small thought that his team could still lose. And being captain, being the best, fastest, and most looked up to person on the team, he knew he was going to get the brunt of the disappointment._

_"Let's go then. Move! Move! Move!" Kendall squeezed his eyes shut when the man clapped for emphasis, the sound briefly echoing over the darkening place as the sun went down._

_"Coach," Kendall said, changing directions, slowly gliding over to the man, "I'm tired. Mom probably has dinner on the table by now and I need to help her with Katie."_

_The man swore under his breath before looking over at Kendall with a blank face. "Son, we'll stop soon, alright? I just want to make sure you're in top shape for this game. The Hawks are a tough one to beat. But, we can do it. Right?"_

_"Right!" Kendall replied with a nod. "Just…how much longer? I'm getting pretty hungry_._" His stomach growled, as if backing him up. The man above him laughed a little bit, before kneeling, putting his hands down on Kendall's shoulders._

_"We're almost done here. You're doing really well." Kendall tried not to wince when the man squeezed his shoulders tightly. The man shook him. "A lot's riding on this game, son. If you win this, then we're the champions for a third year in a row. Everyone wants to beat you. Understand?"_

_"Yes, sir, coach," Kendall replied with a nod._

_"Just five more minutes." Kendall nodded again before turning and skating off. He did the best he could for the last five minutes, but his shoulders were aching. "You better not mess this up, kid. So help me, God, you better not mess this up."_

_He lost the big game the next day because he was so exhausted._

Kendall blinked his eyes open, letting out a heavy sigh through his nose at the darkness around him. Rolling onto his side, he looked at the clock. 12:59…1:00. He stared at the glowing numbers before sitting up, frowning, raising his hand to rub at his sore shoulders. His whole body ached; his heart raced. He didn't expect this when he heard of all the hard work he'd have to put into making James's dream come true.

Looking around at the dirty bedroom of the even more atrocious apartment, Kendall wondered if he really wanted to be there anymore. He hadn't been in California for long, but he was already dealt with the harsh reality of getting his hopes about things and then having it all ripped away a moment later. James was putting on a brave face, but he could see that his friend was disheartened.

Gustavo didn't see what they came home to everyday. His mom never saw how Gustavo treated them during the day. It was two realities that he didn't know if he really wanted to deal with it. But, he knew he had to keep going for James. James wouldn't even _be _in Hollywood if it wasn't for Kendall, and Kendall knew that. He never let his friends down. He knew that he'd have to keep going for them.

Kendall let out a heavy sigh, swinging his legs out of the bed. He glanced over at Logan before quietly tip toeing out of the room. He shut the door softly behind him and glanced at the shadowy forms of the couch, to the TV stand, and their small kitchen. He made his way over to the couch and sat down, squeezing his eyes shut as it squeaked loudly before sliding to its side, crashing to the floor.

"It's just me, mom," he called softly when he heard her door open quietly. "I can't sleep."

"Would you like me to make you some tea?" came Kendall's mom's reply as she slipped out the door. Kendall's eyes adjusted to the light moments later, and he saw the worried look on her face. And it was oddly comforting, despite knowing that he was worrying her. He hated making her worry.

"Yes, please," he replied after a moment. He watched her move around the kitchen as silently as she could, looking for the tea pot and the box of tea bags, and cups. "How'd the job hunt go?"

Mrs. Knight let out a heavy sigh through her nose. "Nothing yet," she replied, briefly giving him a smile over her shoulder, "but I'll find something, don't worry."

"Mom, how can I _not _worry?" Kendall asked, briefly closing his eyes. _She just doesn't get it. But, I don't want to worry her_. "You had to leave your job behind. You've been working there for years, and now you have to start over."

"Honey, this isn't starting over," Mrs. Knight reassured him, opening the box of tea bags, "it's branching out. Looking for something new."

He watched as she pulled out a tea bag, before running the hot water from the sink (to which they were surprised was actually clean, clear water), waiting until it was just right to fill up the tea pot. She removed the lid, placed the tea bag inside, and carried it over to the couch. She gently set it down on the couch cushion beside him before going back to get two cups, handing one to him, and then sat down on the last free couch cushion.

"But, what if you can't find anything?" Kendall asked, holding his cup steady as Mrs. Knight poured the steaming beverage into it. He smiled when the cup instantly heated up his hands. "What if this was a mistake? And we came out here for nothing?"

"Kendall, you've been reassured three months of time for demos," Mrs. Knight replied, blowing at the steam. "If they didn't see something in you boys, then we'd know it." She took a sip and then swallowed, laughing a little bit. Kendall silently raised his eyebrows, asking what was so funny. "When Katie told me that you boys got fired…I was kind of relieved."

Kendall gave her an odd look. "Understand that I wanted this to work out for you as much as you boys do, but, this was a big change for all of us. For once I wasn't in control about what happened to you all, and I was kind of scared about how you'd deal with the rejection. But, while you were at Rocque Records, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to take a three month vacation from our lives back in Minnesota. Just to see what it would be like to start anew."

Kendall peered at her. He didn't know if he had actually noticed a hint of sadness in her voice or not, but something about the way she said it, made him take notice. An uneasy feeling washed over him for a moment. "I had the hockey dream again," he commented, and Mrs. Knight's eyes narrowed slightly. "About what happened before I blew that game."

"You didn't blow it, Kendall," Mrs. Knight replied with a shake off her head. "You were exhausted. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how important hockey was to you."

"It was…important to dad, too," Kendall muttered, glancing down at his lap.

A chill went through the air much like it did whenever there was mention of the estranged parent. And Kendall wasn't lying. Hockey was important to his dad as well. If it wasn't for him, he never would've gotten so into the game.

"You're right," Mrs. Knight replied with a hint of a smile. "He never missed a game; not a once."

"You think he'd be proud of me?" Kendall asked, using his shoulder to brush his hair out of his face. "For what I'm doing for James?"

Mrs. Knight paused, twisting her mouth to the side. "I don't really know, sweetheart," she replied.

But, Kendall knew the answer. No; he wouldn't be proud of him. His dad always drilled into him how important sports were; how they shaped you to be a better person, to help you problem solve, to become dedicated, and a hard worker, and, and, and.

"But, _I'm_ proud of you," Mrs. Knight said, reaching out a hand to cupping her son's cheek with her hand. Kendall closed his eyes as his mom moved her fingers to mess with his hair. "You know that, right? And not just because of this. I'm proud of the man you've grown up to be."

"I've had a great parent," Kendall replied with a smile before lifting his lips to his cup, slowly drinking the hot beverage. He let out a sigh, slowly lowering his mug again. He chewed on his bottom lip, looking at her.

"What's the matter?" Mrs. Knight asked, tilting her head to the side. "You look like something's bothering you."

Kendall wanted to tell her everything they've been going through, but the longer she stared at him, the harder he found it to be. He didn't want her to know how unglamorous things were going so far. _It's just the way this industry is_, he often reminded himself, _things weren't going to be as easy as getting a hat-trick. Gustavo knows what he's doing. _

And with the past successes he had, such as Boy Quake, and Boys in the Attic, Kendall could see that Gustavo _did _know what he was doing. Their songs still got enough radio play on the 90s channel, they'd be bringing in royalties for the rest of their lives, and there were girls his age _still_ arguing over which boy band was better.

In short, he didn't want to worry her even more than she probably already was.

"It's nothing," Kendall replied with a shake of his head. "I was just wondering how this opportunity fell into our laps so to speak. Doesn't matter though; opportunities like this come once in a life. We're going to make it, mom. We're going to make you proud."

"I know you will," Mrs. Knight replied, "but you _already _make me proud by being the best you can be." She gave him a concerned look. "If this isn't what you want, you can stop at anytime."

"I can't do that to James," Kendall replied, using his thumb to scratch at his eyebrows. "He's always wanted this. And you left your job at the café, and—"

"It's not your job to worry about money in this family, Kendall," Mrs. Knight said in a serious tone. "It's my job to worry about you and Katie."

"Mom?" Kendall turned and saw Katie walking out of her room, tiredly rubbing her eyes. He immediately noticed that she was wearing one of his old hockey jerseys as a pajama shirt. "I woke up and you weren't there."

"You can't sleep either?" Mrs. Knight asked. Katie shook her head as she dropped onto the couch on her other side. She snuggled up next to her, resting her head on her other shoulder. Mrs. Knight smiled down at her daughter as she drifted back to sleep. "Everything will be ok, Kendall. Don't worry."

"Kay," Kendall replied with a nod, keeping his eyes on his sister. _I'll make sure of it_.

* * *

The next evening, Kendall closed his eyes as Gustavo, as usual, started yelling at him. He _really_ didn't feel like going through this today. This made him wonder why James ever wanted to be a part of something like this. It was one thing to dream about it, but another to actually live it. School hadn't gotten any better (despite them successfully driving out four of their teachers in hopes of being transferred to the Palm Woods school), and it didn't seem like they were improving at all in the dance studio.

While Gustavo openly yelled at them for having two left feet, Rhuben on the other hand told them what they did wrong in somewhat of a nicer, and accepting way, backing it up with what they did well. Gustavo wouldn't do that. He barely saw the family band over those few days, mainly seeing Riley for wardrobe, and Rhuben for dance. He wondered if they were actually helping them out, but then he'd get annoyed with himself for having any doubt, they _were_ taking time out of their schedule to help them. Things just didn't come so naturally to him out in California.

It was times like these that he missed Minnesota.

"JUST DO WHAT I SAY!" Gustavo was yelling over the sound system.

_Hockey pucks_! Kendall winced and pulled the headphones off his ears and wrapped them onto the mic stand before making his way out of the studio. He heard Gustavo screeching over the intercom before the door shut. _Thank goodness for soundproofing._ Kendall raked his fingers through his hair as he walked down the hallway, ducking as soon as he heard the door open and Gustavo's voice leapt out after him.

"GET BACK HERE AND SING!"

Kendall ignored him and he let out a heavy sigh as he grabbed his bag and made his way down the hall. _Kelly can calm him down. _Kendall couldn't deny that he loved singing, but he could only sing for so long while getting yelled at. Gustavo wasn't known for praising people, but Kendall was surprised to see how he was acting. _He must want this so bad. He hasn't had a hit in 10 years._

Gustavo's voice followed him all the way out, until the outer door clicked shut and he was standing in the center of a busy sidewalk. He breathed a sigh and for a moment just stood there, watching people that walked by. Some people gave him curious looks, but otherwise just walked past him. He still couldn't believe that he was waking up every day in Los Angeles with his friends.

"Come on shake it up whatcha gotta lose…go and make your luck with the life you choose… if you want it all, lay it on the line…it's the only life you got, so you gotta live it big time." He let out a heavy sigh. _This a big time opportunity alright. You can do it; Kendall. Things will get easier, you just have to work at it_.

"So you guys are going for feel good type songs, eh, mate?"

Kendall jumped at the voice and hastily whirled around to see Riley Jackson walking up behind him. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim light and her face was void of any emotion. He suddenly felt self-conscious. _It's so crazy knowing I'm working with her. I mean, she's a celebrity. _

"You scared me," Kendall muttered.

Riley glanced at him. "Didn't mean to." She didn't sound sorry at all. She tilted her head as she peered at him. "You've got a good voice...I guess. Not surprised Gustavo jumped on you the first chance he got."

"What are you doing here?" Kendall asked. "And thanks."

"So, what was _that_ song called?" Riley asked in reply. Kendall noticed that she didn't even answer his first question. His eyes narrowed a little bit.

"Uh, Big Time Rush," Kendall replied and Riley wrinkled her nose. "What?" He suddenly felt defensive. "It's a song about going for your dreams and never backing down."

"Did I even say anything?" Riley asked, shooting him an annoyed look. He blinked in surprise at the sudden harsh tone.

_What's her problem? _He thought, letting out a breath of air. _I've heard of celebrities being jerks in real life. But, I didn't think it was true. And she used to be friends with Logan_? "Do you know what time it is?"

"The time?" Riley's eyebrows rose before she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. She tapped the screen with her thumb and the face lit up. "Ten to seven. I should be getting home." She didn't move though, but looked up and down the street. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I..work with Gustavo?" Kendall replied as more of a question as a look of confusion crossed his face.

"No, I mean, why do you want to sing?" Riley asked, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "What do you like about it?"

Kendall pressed his lips together. He wasn't really sure how to answer that question. it was true that he sang a lot around the house, along with the radio, whenever he was at work, and when Katie couldn't sleep at night, but he never thought of it as a profession before Gustavo came to his doorstep, practically begging him to fly out to California.

But, knowing how much money he was going to get for it didn't hurt either. He'd be lying if he said that the idea of being that rich didn't sway him, but the main reason he decided to sing (besides helping out his friend who really wanted it) was to help out his mom—his family in general—financially. He had a job working at the local grocery store back in Minnesota to help his mom out and he wanted to continue to help while he was in California as well.

"It's fun," Kendall finally replied after a shrug. "I just want to have fun with my friends." Kendall saw a look of surprise quickly cross her face before it was masked with an unreadable expression. "Why do you sing?"

Riley peered at him for a moment, staying silent. When Kendall wasn't sure whether or not she was going to answer she finally said, "I don't really know anymore."

_Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game._

* * *

**A/N: **And there's the next chapter! I wanted to show a little bit more of Kendall's insecurities. Like I said, I'm not going through ALL the episodes of BTR, just ones that I think are important. But, I'm definitely basing chapters off of _Big Time Crib, Big Time Love Song_ _and Big Time Bad Boy _just so you guys can get an idea for what's coming up.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	9. Matter of Time

**~9~**

Katie would never admit it, but she was incredibly proud of her brother. Not only because he was making one of his best friend's dream come true, not because he had managed to get all of them into the Palm Woods school, but because he was able to get what was supposed to be a set of a RCM CBT Global Net Sanyoid commercial set into their apartment, completely remodeling it. And she was currently enjoying the new L shaped orange couch, playing on her Nintendo DS.

"Pass me a pot holder would you, sweetheart?" Mrs. Knight asked from the kitchen, busy stirring something in a pot. Katie sighed heavily, lowering the game system before blowing her bangs off her forehead before getting up and doing as she was told.

She turned towards the wall of cabinets, trying to guess where the pot holders would be. She had no idea. Mrs. Knight had gone out and bought plates and cups and cutlery for everybody to replace all of the paper plates and plastic utensils, but now that the apartment was all renovated, she had no idea where anything was.

She was unfamiliar with the cabinets, this apartment, this life. More has changed than just moving to California. She thought for sure she'd be having fun every day, but she barely got the chance to leave the Palm Woods, unlike her brother and his friends. Friends. She didn't even have any of those yet. She talked civilly with Camille but who would want to hang out with a fourteen year old? She, surprisingly, could barely form any words around the Jacksons whenever they came over to help Big Time Rush with _whatever_ music related stuff they were doing, which was more frequently then she anticipated, and hated herself for it as well.

With moving to California, the carefully normality of her life had been yanked away in an instant, leaving her spinning in confusion. Not like her mom and brother had changed since being in California, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves more than she was. In their old home, they never had so flashy, and while she loved having it, it got old pretty quickly.

"Here you go, mom," Katie mumbled, handing the black cloth out to her.

"Thanks, sweetie," Mrs. Knight said with a smile before leaning over to plant a kiss on the top of Katie's head. Her smile faded a little bit as she peered at her daughter. "What's the matter?"

"I'm so bored," Katie replied in a cross between a moan and a whine. "There's nothing to do here. Kendall and the guys are always leaving. I don't have anyone to hang out with."

"Oh," Mrs. Knight blinked and Katie suddenly got really annoyed when she saw the look of pity on her mom's face. That was the _last_ thing she wanted. "Well, you'll make friends soon. You just have to put yourself out there."

"Mom, I'm like the youngest girl here," Katie cried, throwing her arms into the air. "_No one_ wants to hang out with the new kid. Kendall has it easy. _Everyone_ wants to be friends with him." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And it doesn't hurt that by now practically everybody knows that he's part of Gustavo's new band."

"How about we get out of here for a while," Mrs. Knight suggested, taking the oven mitts off her hands. "We can just let this simmer while we're out. I need to get some more groceries anyway. Kelly told me about this great place called The Grove. It has a mall and a farmer's market and a whole lot of other things to do there."

Katie let out a heavy sigh. "Sure, why not?" she asked, trying to muster up as much enthusiasm she thought possible. "Give me five minutes."

* * *

Katie tugged at her shirt as she walked beside her mom through the crowded streets at The Grove. She felt uncomfortable and was sure that everybody was staring at her. Every chance she got, she looked into a reflective surface and silently wondered if she was wearing too much make up, if any of her hair was out of place, or if she just looked weird in her clothes.

_I never realized how hard it was to actually look natural_ she thought with a sigh. _How do those girls do it_? Katie then shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought. Never before had she cared so much about what she looked like and she wasn't about to start now. She was a tomboy and she was going to stick to it. She felt most comfortable that way and she didn't like to change for anyone.

"Oh, Katie, look at these sunglasses," Mrs. Knight commented, snapping Katie out of her deep thoughts. Katie slowly made her way over to the display that held many sunglasses in different shapes, sizes, and designs. She cringed when she glanced at the price tag on them.

"Mom, these are pretty expensive," she commented.

"I'm not going to buy them, I just want to try some on," Mrs. Knight replied, reaching for a bright blue pair, sliding them over her face. She then struck a pose. "So? How do they look?"

Katie couldn't help but laugh. "They're _so_ not you, mom," she replied before reaching for a pair. She pushed them onto her nose and stood on her tip toes, planting a hand on her hip, the other going up into her hair. "Now, I think _these_ are more me."

Katie and Mrs. Knight continued to look through sunglasses, talking and laughing with each other and Katie found that her smile was genuine. She forgot how much fun she had with her mom. She couldn't deny that her mom was her best friend and her biggest fan, but it didn't hurt that she also wanted friends her age. But, she always knew that her mom would always be there for her no matter what and that made her feel better.

Katie reached for another pair of sunglasses and stopped when she saw a girl's reflection in the lenses. The girl was wearing a white tank top with pink flowers on it, blue bikini straps visibly on her shoulders, pink shorts, and blue flip flops. She propped a surfboard up against a wall before making her way into the store behind Katie.

Katie turned and saw the store was called Ocean Gear Beach Store. She squinted, using her hand to shield her face from the sun, before remembering that she had sunglasses in her hand, and put them on. She peered into the store and saw clothes, towels, sunglasses, and some people walking around inside.

"Hey, mom," she said, turning to face Mrs. Knight as she looked through some hats.

"Hm?" Mrs. Knight replied, distracted.

"I'm going to check out that store," Katie replied, putting the sunglasses back. "It's just across the street. It's called Ocean Gear Beach Store."

"Ok, I'll be right here," Mrs. Knight replied.

"Cool," Katie replied before hurrying across the street, scooting around people that were in her way.

Stealthily approaching the window, she took in what was on display. There were mostly guys board shorts, sunscreen and one or two very ugly unladylike swimsuits. Katie wrinkled her nose, wondering who in their right mind would wear them let alone advertise them. She stepped into the store and looked around—on the left side were all surfboards and on the right accessories, in the middle were t-shirts, tank tops, beach towels, buckets, skateboards, a whole lot of stuff—her eyes taking in every bright color and item that were on sale in the big store.

"Wow," she whispered, looking around, her head titled back, glancing up at the ceiling. She took a few steps back to take in everything, and gasped, jumping forward when she felt herself hit something.

"Hey, watch it, chick!"

Katie bristled as she turned around and spotted an older guy move through the crowds of people, holding his surfboard close to his body. "Hey," she shouted after him. "I'm not a _chick_, I'm a girl. And I have a name."

"Whatever, kook," the guy lazily tossed over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about him." Katie turned and saw the blonde haired girl from before standing beside her; a beach towel tucked under one arm, a pure white shirt looking thing under the other. "He's rude to everyone. He thinks he has the right to say anything to anyone because he's won the past few surf comps around here."

"Surprised he can walk with how fat his head is due to his ego," Katie commented and the girl laughed. "Hi, I'm Katie." The girl took Katie's hand, shaking it hard, before giving her a wide smile. Katie blinked and practically had to shield her eyes at how white the girl's teeth were. Her hair was in a messy side ponytail and her eyes seemed to be full of energy.

"My name's Lizzie," the girl replied. She then titled her head to the side. "You're not from around here are you?"

"Why do you ask?" Katie asked slowly. _It's that noticeable? I knew I had on too much, makeup._

"Oh, it's just I'm here almost every day and I've never seen you," Lizzie replied, putting her hands on her hips. "Plus, you nearly chewed him out for calling you a 'chick' when every girl is referred to as that here." She gave a half smile. "And you have an accent."

Katie blinked. _I have an accent_? She scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I'm new," Katie replied with a shrug. "Just moved here from Minnesota a little while ago." Her nose then wrinkled. "I didn't know people in California was so rude." She cracked a grin. "All the sun must've messed with their brains."

"Not everybody is like that," Lizzie replied. "Minnesota, huh? You've come a long way. Just a change of scenery? Move with your parents?"

"My brother," Katie replied. "He's part of Gustavo Rocque's new boy band—"

"Big Time Rush," Lizzie replied with a nod, although her eyes started to sparkle even more. Katie blinked in surprise. This was a new reaction to her. Normally when people find out she's related to someone in BTR, or just that she knows BTR in general, not that it was a lot of the time since she barely got out of the Palm Woods, they flip out, and start asking her questions. "Who? If you don't mind my asking."

"Kendall," Katie slowly replied, gauging Lizzie's reaction.

"Cool," Lizzie replied with a nod. "He and his friends must be very talented then. I hope they do well." She shifted the stuff under her arm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hold you up from checking out," Katie said, taking a large step back.

"Don't sweat it," Lizzie replied, doing her best to shrug. "I've got plenty of time." She then seemed to look Katie up and down and Katie tugged on her shirt again. "Blue isn't your color by the way." Katie flushed, knowing that she was referring to the blue eye shadow she had on. Katie looked over Lizzie's face and saw that she was wearing simple eyeliner, a little bit of a bright pink eye shadow, and lip gloss. "But, I love your lipstick. What kind is it?"

"Um, not sure," Katie replied. She scratched the back of her head and then said, "My, uh, my mom let me use it." _Way to go, Katie. She probably thinks you're a loser now that you've admitted you borrowed your mom's make up. _She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "So, you surf?"

"Oh, yeah," Lizzie replied, glancing at the white piece of clothing under her arm. "I just came to get a new rash guard. My other one was ripped too much. On my brother. Of course he doesn't know that I took his credit card from him."

Katie laughed as Lizzie moved to the cash register to pay for her stuff. "I'm on my way to the beach if you want to come and hang out," she tossed over her shoulder. "I'm meeting Patrick and Noah Jackson there."

Katie's eyes widened slightly "Wait, you know Patrick and Noah?" she asked.

"Yeah, for a few years now," Lizzie replied with as shrug. "They're friends with my brother. Oh right, I forgot, they're helping your brother with his band." She lightly hit herself in the head. "Of course you'd know them. They're actually the ones that taught me how to surf. You should come with."

"That'd be great," Katie replied with a wide grin. "Oh, but I should ask my mom first. She came here with me today."

"So go ask," Lizzie replied, pulling her wallet out of the pocket on her shorts. "Hurry though, the guys are waiting. It's not that long of a walk; we'll just head over and then come back here so your mom can pick you up."

Katie nodded and quickly made her way out of the store and across the street to where her mom was looking at some purses. "Hey, mom!" she called hurrying over to her. "I met this girl named Lizzie. She's headed down to the beach. Can I go with her?"

"I don't know, Katie," Mrs. Knight slowly replied, looking over at her daughter.

"Mom, I'm almost 13," Katie groaned, rolling her eyes. "I can do stuff by myself. Don't worry." Mrs. Knight raised an eyebrow. "Mom, she could be a good friend. And she knows Patrick and Noah too, through her brother."

"How are you going to get home?" Mrs. Knight asked, looking like she was going to cave, but still a little worried. "I was your ride here."

"The beach isn't that far away just a short walk. I can meet you back here to take the bus," Katie replied, somewhat impatiently. "Please, mom? Please? They're all waiting for me!"

"Well, alright," Mrs. Knight replied with a heavy sigh. "But, make sure you keep your cell phone on you at all times, and call me as soon as you're on your way back so I can get on the bus. And _don't _go anywhere by yourself."

"Thanks mom!" Katie cried, a smile blooming on her face. She threw her arms around her mom's neck, giving her a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you! Don't worry. I'll totally be responsible. Bye."

"Have fun," Mrs. Knight replied with a wave before Katie hurried off. Lizzie was standing outside of the surf shop, waiting patiently for her.

"Well?" she asked, shouldering her shopping back before tucking her surfboard under her arm.

"I can go," Katie replied with a smile. Lizzie grinned and started leading the way towards the beach. "By the way, who's your brother?"

Lizzie clicked her tongue before looking Katie dead in the eye and replied, "Dak Zevon." Katie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. And a lot of screeching. But, whatevs."

_Oh my god, I can't believe it. She's Dak Zevon's sister? THE Dak Zevon? Alright, Katie. Just play it cool. He's just a person. Like your brother. Be calm, like Lizzie. She didn't freak out when she found out you were related to Kendall_. Katie wiped her face clean and let out a heavy sigh. "That's cool. I mean, I guess that explains why you didn't freak out when I told you who _my_ brother was." _Nice one, Katie. Real smooth. Great job._

"Right," Lizzie replied with a nod. "So come on, let's go. Unless you want to talk about my brother all day." She gave a devilish grin. "I don't have a problem telling unflattering stories about him."

Katie laughed. "That's alright, let's just get to the beach. I haven't been there yet," she replied with a shake of her head. "So, are you an actress too? Or a singer?"

"Dancer," Lizzie replied. "I go to the local Performing Arts school here." She used her shoulder to brush her hair out of her face. "I wasn't always into it though. Rhuben Jackson, you obviously know her, did a workshop at my school once, and I love her band, so I went, and I've been hooked since." She then grinned. "Plus, it doesn't hurt that her brothers are cute, especially Sydney."

"Oh," Katie kicked at a rock. "Are you and—"

"No, I'm not dating Patrick _or_ Noah," Lizzie interrupted her, shaking her head. "Believe me, you're not the first person that's asked me that or have implied it. They're just good friends of mine. We have fun."

"Oh, cool," Katie replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. She let out a breath of air she didn't even realize she was holding. "Too bad I didn't bring my bathing suit."

"Well, you're wearing a bra, right?" Lizzie asked. Katie was taken aback by the sudden question. "Just roll your pants up to your knees and go in your bra. We have plenty of towels so you don't have to worry about anything. We always have extra beach gear."

"Cool, thanks," Katie replied, suddenly feeling nervous. She had never worn a bikini in front of other guys, let alone let them see her bra. She couldn't even begin to imagine showing Dak Zevon her bra as well. She started chewing on her bottom lip, which Lizzie noticed.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a wave of her hand. "They're not creepy pervs or anything. The kinda can't having grown up with Riley and Rhuben."

"So, is it true that they're dating? Your brother and Rhuben, I mean?" Katie asked, quickly taking the bait to change the subject. "I've seen a few magazines and stuff saying it."

"No," Lizzie replied, shaking her head. "They're not together; unfortunately. Dak really likes her, which you know from all the magazines, and Rhubes is really cool. I'd love it if they dated." She shifted her surfboard under her arm. "He'll be back in town soon; he's working on a musical right now. I can't wait." She then suddenly let out a loud squeal and Katie turned to see that they were at the beach.

"Wow," Katie whispered, watching as the waves crashed onto the shore.

She could immediately feel the temperature dropping as she followed Lizzie onto the sand, but smiled as the salt filled air hit her nose. She paused to take off her socks and shoes. The sand was lukewarm as the sun was just warming it up. The waves were breathtaking, almost perfect. Suddenly, a surfing figure caught her eye.

She could see a medium height muscular boy, riding a decent sized wave, just off of the shore. His moves, manipulated the wave, as if he danced across the water. His form so perfect, as he disappeared for a few moments behind the wave, riding it across. The boy emerged from behind the wave, without falling, and steered his board around to meet, a slightly smaller wave. Katie stood silently, watching the boy ride the waves in such a perfect form, in complete awe by his talent.

"Good, isn't he?" Lizzie asked. She was giving Katie a small grin as she watched. Lizzie set her board and towel down onto the sand and pulled off her tank top, revealing a sea foam blue bikini top. She adjusted it, and the straps, before taking the white piece of clothing, pulling it on over her head. "This is a rash guard, by the way."

"Good? He's amazing!" Katie exclaimed. She watched as Lizzie's grin grow wider.

Lizzie let out a giggle. Katie arched an eyebrow. She didn't expect Lizzie to have been the type to giggle. Then again, she didn't expect someone who actually _liked_ wearing pink to be so nice to her. "That's Patrick…" Pulling the elastic band out of her hair, she flipped her soft blonde hair over her shoulder, smiling in amusement.

Katie choked on her own breath, "Patrick?" She looked out over the ocean and immediately spotted the boy. She slowly nodded when she spotted his blonde hair. "No wonder I didn't recognize him. His hair is normally spiked."

"Surfing's about the only time I see him with it down," Lizzie explained. "Oh, there goes Noah." Katie turned back out towards the water and saw Noah gliding along the face of a wave, his hand in the wave. "He's not as good as Patrick, and he doesn't love surfing as much as Pat does, but he's good." She waved her hand in the air and Patrick waved back, motioning to Noah to head to shore.

"O..oh..." was all Katie could really say as Patrick and Noah walked over, carrying their surfboards under their arms, shaking their heads, sending water flying everywhere.

"Bout time, Lizzie," Patrick commented, and Katie noticed that he wasn't speaking with his normal accent. He blinked in surprise. "Wondering where you were."

"Hangin' with Katie," Lizzie replied, nodding over at her. Katie gave a small smile and a wave and Patrick and Noah gave a polite nod in greeting. "I doubt you waited long before you went in to snag a wave."

"Eh." Patrick made a noise in the back of his throat before turning to Katie. "Hey. First time at the beach?"

"Yeah," Katie replied with a nod. "I didn't really plan on coming today. I ran into Lizzie at the beach store near The Grove."

"Too bad," Patrick commented. He jerked his thumb over at Noah before motioning towards himself. "We could've taught you how to surf." Noah nodded.

"I don't know," Katie commented, peering past him and over at the large waves.

"That's nothing, girl," Lizzie commented, waving her hand in the air. "Besides, we wouldn't let you out that far on your first day. You still gotta learn how to paddle and stand and what not." She then looked over at the two boys. "You got any extra wax?" Noah silently tilted his head to the side and motioned a little farther down the beach. "Down the beach?" He nodded. "Cool, we'll walk with ya."

"You wouldn't have anything to worry about," Patrick continued, falling into step beside Katie. "I've been on a board practically since I could walk. We've always lived by the water."

"You don't seem like the type to surf," Katie said, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"…How so?" Patrick asked, his eyebrows rising. He pressed his lips together. Noah silently peered at her, adopting the same look on his face, looking curious.

"Oh, you know," Katie replied."With how much you dance and stuff." The two boys didn't say anything, but exchanged glances. Katie then said to Noah, "You seem more like a 'book person.'" Noah's eyebrows knitted together and Katie couldn't help but rush on. "You know, you just seem like you'd rather stay inside…"

Patrick looked up and exchanged glances with Lizzie before looking over at Noah, who was looking back at Katie with an odd expression on his face. Once he locked eyes with his twin, he shook his head slightly and shifted his gaze, looking kind of mad. Katie bit her bottom lip.

"I didn't mean it like that," Katie muttered, suddenly feeling like a jerk. _Way to go, Katie. You can pull your foot out of your mouth at any minute._

"Whatever," Patrick tossed back with a slight shake of his head, sounding bored. "People don't really know us outside of what they see in magazines. It's kind of annoying, really." Katie felt herself blush in embarrassment. Lizzie cleared her throat, giving Patrick a pointed look. Patrick's eyebrow twitched. "But, that's the price to pay to entertain people, right?"

"Right," Lizzie agreed with a nod.

"Right," Katie repeated weakly. _Just take a deep breath and think before you say anything else, Katie. _"So what kinds of things do you do for fun around here?"

"Mostly surf, but there are skate parks, and Santa Monica Pier, and The Grove, stuff like that," Lizzie replied. "You find things to do." She elbowed Noah in the side. "If I can get 'em out of the studio long enough to have some time to play." Noah gave an amused grin as they reached the boys' bags.

Katie jumped when an alarm suddenly sounded and Patrick dropped his surf board to the ground, reaching into his bag to pull out his sell phone. "Hey Dad."

"_Are you still at the beach_?" Patrick pulled his phone away from his ear for a moment and Katie looked around, trying not to listen to the conversation. But, his dad was talking pretty loudly.

"I think you know the answer to that," Patrick replied, looking over at Noah. Noah narrowed his eyes at his twin brother, staying silent. "Ugh, seriously? Fine."

"Gotta go?" Lizzie asked.

"Dad' gotten aggro over something, as usual," Patrick replied, throwing his cell phone back into his back. "Sorry, Lizz. We'll catch you later."

"No worries," Lizzie replied although she was frowning a little bit as she watched them quickly pack up their things. "Bye."

"Bye," Katie repeated, giving a small wave as the two boys headed up the beach at a jog.

"Well, that sucks, I guess, but what can you do?" Lizzie asked with a shrug. "Hey, let's head back to The Grove and go shopping. That way your mom won't worry as much."

Katie wrinkled her nose. "I don't like to shop."

"Ok," Lizzie replied, pausing for a moment to think it over. "There's an In-N-Out not too far from here. You want to get something to eat?"

"What's In-N-Out?" Katie asked. Lizzie stared at her, her eyes widening, her jaw dropping. If Katie felt out of place before, it didn't compare to now. Obviously, In-N-Out was a big thing around California.

"In-N-Out has the best burgers in the world," Lizzie replied. "And their shakes are great too."

"Sure, sounds good," Katie replied. "Aren't you upset that you can't surf?"

Lizzie looked back out over the waves, sighing. "A little, but it's no fun surfing by yourself," she replied, hitching up her board underneath her arm. "Anyway, I've kinda gotten used to Patrick and Noah running off at their dad's beck and call. He's all business, but they wouldn't be successful any other way." She brushed her hair over her shoulder. "You doing anything this weekend?"

"Nope, I'm free," Katie replied before mentally kicking herself. _Way to sound desperate there, Katie. Could you have answered any faster? _"I don't know if my mom has anything planned or not."

"You want to hang out?" Lizzie asked.

"Sure, but, um, I'd have to ask my mom first," Katie replied, giving a brief smile. "But, it sounds great." Her stomach let out a loud growl and she flushed.

* * *

The Jacksons groaned as they laid on the floor to the dance studio, gasping for breath. Robert walked around them, nudging them to their feet with a swift kick to the side. Ronan bit his lip as he watched, wanting to confront Robert to stop but also intimidated by the man at the same time. His hands were clenched into fists at his side.

Ronan mentally cursed himself for not being able to stand up to the man like he had done so before. No matter how many times he heard Robert yell at his kids, it physically hurt him. He would constantly battle with himself over whether or not he was going to say anything at all or wait until he could talk to Robert in private. Nevertheless, he ultimately hated the man for making him feel like a little child every time he tried to talk to him about it.

"Get up," Robert shouted. "Do it again!"

"We've done it five times already," Riley growled into the floor. Her features relaxed before a look of regret crossed her face. Robert spun on his heels and slowly walked over to her, his shoes making a high pitched squeaking sound with each step he took. Ronan winced as each squeak sounded.

"What?" Robert demanded storming over to her. He had his hands clasped behind his back. When Riley didn't immediately answer, he started tapping his foot menacingly. "_Well_?"

"Rob—"

Robert put up his hand, stopping Ronan in the middle of his sentence. Ronan let out a breath of air through his nose, and tilted his head back, lightly hitting the glass wall behind him. He started to gently repeatedly hit his head on the wall as he watched the scene unfold.

"We've done it five times already," Riley snapped glaring up at him, brushing her hair out of her face.

"And you've done it _wrong_ five times," Robert insisted. "_Get up_! Do it again!"

"Can we get some water first?" Patrick asked, resting his arms on his knees as he sat down on the floor. _Man, we left surfing for this_?

The gel that he had in his hair to keep his spikes up had already been sweated out and his hair now hung down in his face. Ronan could help but notice how small Patrick seemed to look. It was like day and night of how he normally acted and looked. Patrick was best known for being the most outgoing one of the group being described as bouncing off the walls and just having great energy that could liven up even the most conflicted person.

Robert looked like he was going to protest, but he caught Ronan's eyes and froze. Ronan sucked in a deep breath and held Robert's gaze. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't shaking like a leaf, but he had to get his point across. Robert clenched his teeth together, a vein in his neck and jaw popping out.

"If you get it right this time then you can have a water break," Robert growled as he hauled his son to his feet.

_That does it._"Hey, Rob, chill out," Ronan piped up. "They're only doing bad each time because they're tired." He willed himself not to flinch when Robert turned his icy glare over to the older man. "I understand you want this perfect, Robert, really, I do. But, you're pushing them too hard. They can barely stand."

"When I want your opinion I'll ask for it," Robert said clapping his hands together. "Again. Now." He jabbed his finger into the PLAY button on the boom box.

As the Jacksons sang and danced, Robert watched with a glare etched upon his face. Ronan kept shifting his gaze back and forth from the kids to Robert, studying them. Ronan shifted his weight from foot to foot as he watched Sydney start to slow down. Of course with him being the youngest, he didn't have as much endurance as his brothers and sisters.

_I've got to give him props for trying to keep up_, Ronan thought, loosening his tie as the song came to a close. _How does he keep doing it? He's so different around fans; all lively and open, but when he's by himself or around anyone else, he's so quiet_.

As soon as the last beat of the song slammed to a stop, the Jackson fell to the floor once again, breathing heavily. Ronan jumped when Robert picked up the boombox he was sitting by and threw it against the floor. Patrick and Noah were leaning against each other, trying to sit straight up. Ronan couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears that were sliding down Sydney's cheeks. Riley and Rhuben were glaring off into space, refusing to look at their dad.

"That was pathetic!" Robert shouted. "Step it up! We can't have any mistakes!"

Rhuben let out a scream of frustration, slapping her hands down on the wooden floor. "Nothing we do will be perfect for you," she shouted before getting to her feet and storming to the side of the room to get her stuff.

"Just take the rest of the day off," Ronan said running his fingers through his hair. He helped Sydney to his feet and pulled the end of his shirt from his pants. He stuck his hand in the bottom and started to dab at Sydney's cheeks. Ronan's heart clenched when Sydney looked up at him with his piercing blue eyes. "Hey, you guys did a great job today." Sydney quietly nodded. "Really." He gave each of them a hug as they walked out, shouldering their bags.

"I didn't say you could leave," Robert shouted after them. Ronan put his hands on Robert's chest and pushed him back, stopping him from following his kids out the door. "I haven't dismissed you."

"Yes, but _I have_," Ronan said sternly, closing the door behind the kids. "You're pushing them too hard. They don't need to be run into the ground. They won't do perfectly if they're tired all the time. They need breaks. You can't run them without giving them a water break or a few minutes to rest."

"In those few minutes they're missing deals that could change their music career for the better," Robert replied, sounding eerily calm. "I know I'm hard on my kids from time to time, but it's the easiest way to keep them in line. You know what they're like; rambunctious and running around the place." Robert shrugged before turning around and heading towards the exit. He stopped and then glanced back at Ronan. "It's like my dad always said, '_Discipline is remembering what you want. If we don't discipline ourselves, the world will do it for us_.'"

"Have you ever taken into consideration that what you want for them may not what be what they want for themselves?" Ronan asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "They're super talented kids, and yet with your constant pushing them, you could be burning them out. They aren't having fun anymore. Have you actually looked at them?"

"They live with me," Robert grunted arching an eyebrow. "I look at them enough."

Ronan rolled his eyes, shaking his head._ What will get through to this guy? I've never seen someone this mad at everyone._ He pressed his tongue into his cheek. "Your kids require you most of all to love them for who they are, not to spend your whole time trying to correct them, Rob." Robert swallowed. "At least, that's what mydad always said."

"You know nothing," Robert replied in a low voice.

* * *

Breathe. Don't look at him. Don't look him in the eyes. _Kendall thought to himself as he slowly made his way down the hall of the sports arena. He stepped quietly and slowly, trying not to make a sound. There was the dull hum of people talking in the lobby. Some voices sounded happier than others. Not that he could blame them; he played lousy._

_"Kendall, there you are," his mother said with a warm smile, walking up to him, placing her hands on his cheeks. "What took you? The other players came out a while ago." Katie waddled over to Kendall's side, smiling up at him, as she took his hand._

_"I was…I was thirsty," Kendall mumbled in reply. "I was just getting some water." _

_"Kendall!" Kendall heard the familiar voices of his friends and teammates. "Kendall, wait up!"_

_"Can we go?" Kendall asked his mom._

_"But, Kendall—"_

_"Can we just _go_?" Kendall repeated. "I'll IM them later, it's ok, mom. I'm really just tired. I…I don't want to deal with anything right now."_

_"You did a good job," Katie said, looking up at him, swinging their arms back and forth. Kendall relaxed into a smile as he looked down at her._

_"Mom, please?" Kendall asked. Kacy sighed but nodded, guiding the two of them out the door. They quickly crossed the parking lot and got into their car. His dad was already sitting in the passenger seat, staring out the window._

_"That was a close game," he commented, turning his head enough to look at his son in the rearview mirror. "Never gone to over time before."_

_"Mhm," Kendall replied with a nod as he buckled in his sister before himself. He adjusted the strap over his chest, staring ahead. The car was silent for a moment as Kacy turned on the car, shortly followed by the heater. "Second place is still good."_

_"First is great," his dad instantly replied. Kacy shot him a warning look from the front seat and Kendall silently nodded._

_"Kendall played great today," Kacy said quietly. This response was met with loud, cruel laughter. Laughter Kendall didn't recognize, but still sent a shiver down his spine._

Kendall awoke with a sudden gasp. His heart rammed in his chest as he ran his hands over his face. Letting out a heavy sigh, he collapsed back into his pillows, staring at the ceiling. It was starting to become too familiar of an action.

_Eat healthily, sleep well, breathe deeply, move harmoniously. That's the game plan. That's the only way to be successful._

* * *

**A/N:** So, most of this chapter was from from _Adrenaline Rush, _but it fits well into this. Anyway, as the fic goes on you'll see more of Kendall's nightmares and stuff. Jo, Camille, and WayneWayne are coming up soon. Most of the chapters of _Welcome to the Big Time _I'm not re-doing, or I'm just taking bits and pieces from them because when I look back at the fic (and see how bad it was) it didn't really follow the main plot that the title suggested it did. But, it's still technically a re-write anyway as, like I said earlier, it's going through the episodes that I think were most important out of the 3 (and soon 4) seasons.

Hope you guys liked this chapter!

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	10. Hesitation

**~10~**

Logan was nervous. He, Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan were standing in the vast recording studio at Rocque Records, waiting for the signal from Gustavo to start their performance. And it was a big deal. The boys were in the stages of choosing some of their recorded songs as singles, and this was one of the ones the boys wanted entitled _The City is Ours. _However, it wasn't entirely their decision. But, what made it a big deal was that they were getting the DarkElements' opinion on the song, as well as seeing how well they could perform the choreography they had with it.

He was excited to show them how their hard work in helping the was paying off, but at the same time, through the short time they've worked together, he knew they could be pretty blunt with what they were thinking. It was hard not to take anything they said personally. But, he knew that they were working hard. And James was happy that he was able to live his dream, so he couldn't really complaing.

Well, he could. He thought that meeting up with his friends again, they'd fall back into their old routines. But, they were different. He couldn't put his finger on _how _they were different, but he just felt something was off with them. And the way they were staring down at him and his friends now wasn't really helping.

"Hey, relax, Logan," James said, clapping Logan hard on the back, causing him to start coughing. "Even if you do mess up, on one will notice, since they'll be looking at me." He grinned and Logan squinted one eye.

"Thanks for that," he said with a shake of his head.

"We've been practicing for forever Logan," Kendall said in a calming tone. "We'll be fine."

"I don't know, I hate how Gustavo's looking at us," Carlos said with a shake of his head.

He pointed towards the large glass window where Gustavo was sitting in front of a sound board. Sunglasses, as usual, were covering his face and he hard his arms crossed over his chest. Despite not being able to see his eyes, they could feel his hate stare.

"Just don't look at him," James said with a shrug, "just look at the two beautiful ladies at the back." Logan glanced over at Riley and Rhuben and let out a sigh.

"Can you even tell them apart?" he asked, peering over at his friend. _Not that it matters to James anyway._

"No," James replied with an air of confidence. "But, that doesn't really matter considering—" He stopped, cringing when a loud ringing sound filled his ears.

"_Quit yapping like the dogs you and are let's get going_!" Gustavo shouted into the microphone. Logan instantly slapped his hands over his ears. Seconds later, music started blaring through the speakers and Kendall stepped up to the microphone that was in front of it. Grabbing onto it with both hands he started to sing, tapping his foot along with the music.

"Rolling past graffiti walls, billboards lighting up the block, everyone of us on a mission," Kendall sang, James and Carlos coming into harmonize on the last line. Logan stepped up to his microphone, singing a soft "Oh yeah" in the background. Kendall looked over at Logan and gave him a reassuring mile. "Got a whole crew by my side, cars beep, beep when they pass us by, we ready to get down to business."

"We pull up, open the door, all the girls scream there they are," Carlos sang, dancing on the spot behind his microphone, "it's packed from wall to wall and everybody is calling. Here we come, it's almost time, feel the rush, now hit the lights. It's time to get it all started."

"Because the night is young the line is out the door, today was crazy but, tonight the city's ours," Logan sang with his friends, smiling at how well they sounded, working together. "Live it up until the morning comes, today was crazy but tonight. The city is ours, the city is ours."

The four boys continued through the rest of the song before stepping back from their microphones, moving into a section of music, what they called the breakdown, to show off their dance moves. He tried his best to keep up with James, who was easily the best dance out of the four of them, but couldn't help but feel his heart sink a little more each time he messed up. But, he did his best to keep going. Then they were back at the microphones to finish the song.

"The city is ours," Kendall sang the last line of the song, looking up expectantly at Gustavo. "Well? What'd you guys think?" Gustavo didn't answer. The boys watched as he turned in his seat, throwing off his headphones to face the Jacksons, who were talking quietly with each other.

"That's it!" Logan cried, throwing his arms in the air, accidentally hitting Carlos in the face as he did so. He looked down at his fallen friend for a moment before turning towards James and Kendall. "He hated it! He had to have hated it. We must've messed up about twenty times."

"_You_ messed up about twenty times," James contradicted him, giving him a hard stare before relaxing into a grin. "I was perfect. As usual." Logan rolled his eyes.

"We were all great, don't worry," Kendall said with a sigh. He paused for a moment and then said. "Just in case, we'll butter him up." He turned towards the door as it was pulled open and Gustavo slowly walked into the room, followed by Kelly, and the Jacksons. Neither of them were showing any emotion. And that made Logan even more nervous. "Gustavo! The song was great!"

"Uh, of course it's great," Gustavo replied, his words dripping massive amounts of 'duh', "I wrote it. But, the _band _isn't great."

"Well, what did you guys think?" Logan asked, turning to the Jacksons. "Thanks for coming, by the way. And thank you for agreeing to help us out with this process, we really appreciate it."

Rhuben smirked, arching an eyebrow. "Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere," she commented with a brief eye roll. "We're going to tell you the honest truth no matter what."

"It's what you've always done," Logan said with a small smile. "It'd be weird if you didn't." Rhuben's eyebrow twitched, but she didn't say anything in reply.

"You started off great," Riley said slowly, rubbing her chin, "but there were problems. " She turned towards Kendall. "You kept moving the microphone when you sang; angling it up and down, make sure you keep it in front of your mouth."

"James, you need to bring your microphone stand up higher," Rhuben added, looking down at a notepad in her hand, "you too, Kendall. You're both the tallest in the group and your back will hurt quickly hunching over the microphone the whole time."

Riley peered at the list in Rhuben's hands as Carlos got to his feet. "Carlos, don't dance so much behind your microphone. Some movement is good, but you're going to tire yourself out before you get into the dance portion, which happened here."

"And Logan," Rhuben said, checking off the list, "you need to be more confident. You were nervous and it showed on your face. In fact, all of you need to be more confident." She nodded to the corner of the room. "In this section over here; with Carlos and James more so in the front, all eyes naturally go to them, but that doesn't hide the fact that…well, Logan and Kendall are the worst dancers out of the group."

"Bright side; you kept your energy up," Patrick spoke up, clapping his hands together, "you stayed on the beat, and your harmonies were excellent. Not bad." Noah silently nodded in agreement.

"I liked it," Sydney said quietly, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Be that as it may, the dogs are missing the secret rock and roll ingredient," Gustavo commented.

James snapped his fingers, looking excited. "Is it hair mousse?"

"Chocolate Mousse?" Carlos asked, licking his lips and rubbing his stomach with his hands. "Mmmmm. I'm hungry."

"Spandex?" Logan asked, looking worried. "Please don't say spandex. The leather was bad enough." He shuddered, thinking about them all dressing in head to toe leather for one of the outfit designs that their stylist team had come up with. He had _just _gotten rid of a bad rash due to the lack of air getting through the material. He jumped when Gustavo put his arm around him.

"The bad boy!" Gustavo practically yelled in his ear. "The ill-tempered rebel with a flair for synchronized dance. One of you have to be it." He then stalked over to Kendall's side, slapping him hard on the back. He grabbed the microphone stand, using it to keep himself up. "I say it's Kendall."

_"What_?" Kendall asked, his jaw dropping. He looked over at Kelly who winked at him. He looked over at the Jacksons who were sharing amused looks. Riley looked Kendall up and down and snorted. Shaking his head, he turned towards his producer. "Gustavo, why do we need a bad boy?"

"Because _Griffin_ asked for it and no matter what _Griffin_ asks, _Griffin_ gets," Gustavo replied through clenched teeth. He then pulled off his sunglasses. "He's driving me _crazy_! But, he's right, because the bad boy is the rock and roll tradition."

"And chicks love bad boys," James said with a grin, running his fingers through his hair. "Right, ladies?" Riley and Rhuben exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

"But…but, we're not even a rock and roll band," Kendall said, trying to think as fast as he could. "Gustavo—"

"_Follow me_!" Gustavo commanded, leading them all out of the studio and into the hallway of boy band posters. He stopped by Boy Quake, motioning to the one with the orange jumper. "Notice the back turned to the rest of the band; bad boy." He motioned to the picture of Boy Blast. "Notice the back turned, the dark clothing, and the scowl; _bad_ boy!"

"But, there can only be one bad boy per group as learned from the bad boys experiment of '95," Kelly said with a heavy sigh before removing Boy Blast's picture, revealing a poster of a boy band named Bad Boyz, who all had their backs to the camera.

"Didn't sell a _single_ CD," Gustavo said with a shake of his head. "We don't ever really show this picture…or mention it for that matter." He then turned to the Jacksons who were all leaning against the wall, arms crossed over their chests. "Somehow _they _made it work."

"And the girls are looking _sexy_ too," James said with a grin.

"But, we're best friends," Kendall said with a shake of his head. "We _never _turn our backs on each other." He grinned when his friends all agreed with him.

"Then let me let you in on _another_ rock and roll secret; the bad boy is also the most _popular_ member of the band, makes the _most_ money, and dates the _hottest_ models," Gustavo said, counting off on his fingers. He watched as the Big Time Rush boys stopped talking, staring at him. "Now…have you changed your minds?"

"No," Kendall said with a shake of his head, his nose wrinkling.

Logan was torn between trying to a bad boy and being himself. He could use the money to help pay for tuition to med school and…well, he was a guy and wanted to date a hot model. Carlos and James didn't have to think twice about it as they were already talking to themselves about how 'bad' they could be.

"No, I'm out," he said with a shake of his head. "It's just not me. I'm not a bad person." He shrugged. "Besides, if it wasn't for Kendall, I wouldn't be friends with these guys." He looked over at the Jcksons. _And I wouldn't have met up with them again, either_.

"I can be bad!" James declared, turning around, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look at my back; look at that _arch_." He then unbuttoned his top shirt, revealing a black tank top and he flexed his muscles. "And check out these _guns_!"

"You've got ten minutes to show these dogs how to be a bad boy," Gustavo said, turning towards the Jacksons. "Kelly and I will be waiting in my office. Get to work."

"Gustavo, this isn't something you can be taught," Riley said, giving the older man an annoyed look, wiggling her finger in her ear, trying to get her hearing back after his loud yell.

"_Just do as I say_!" Gustavo shouted back at her, clapping twice, before turning on his heels and walking away, Kelly racing after him, her heels clacking on the floor

Logan let out a heavy sigh, watching as James and Carlos started asking the Jacksons a million questions. He noticed their eyes grow wide as his two friends took a step closer towards them, talking a mile a minute. Sydney frowned, moving closer to Noah, and Noah put his arm around his baby brother's shoulder, patting the side of his head.

"Guys, back off a bit," he said, grabbing James and Carlos's shoulders, pulling them back. "You really don't have to do this, guys."

"Yes, they do!" James said with a roll of his eyes. "Being famous was one of my dreams, but being a bad boy is one of the steps on my way to stardom."

"Like I said, it can't be taught," Riley dead-panned before letting out a sigh. "But, if this is what you really want, then follow me." She lead the group through the halls before making it to the cluttered costume closet, flipping on the lights, instantly making her way towards one of the racks of clothes.

"So, um, I added you guys on MyFace," Logan said, taking a seat at the other end of the couch, sitting across from Rhuben.

"I noticed," Rhuben replied shortly as she watched James and Carlos start throwing clothes across the room, looking for something a bad boy would wear. Kendall, who was sitting on the stool in the middle of the room was shaking his head back and forth and Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were standing by the hat box, laughing as they tried on different hats.

Logan blinked at the short answer. "So, I was thinking this Friday you, Riles, and I could hang out," he suggested, and Rhuben slowly turned and looked at him. "Just like old times." Her expression didn't change and it started to freak him out. "We can catch up and everything. I want to hear what you guys have been doing since I left." More silence. "Or we could all hang out; me, James, and Carlos and you guys."

"Pick up any magazine and you can figure it out," Rhuben replied, raking her fingers through her hair. "Then again, that's just what people want you to know. You'll figure out pretty quickly that in this town, people want to find out a lot about you." Logan didn't have an answer for that. "We'll think about it. We might have something to do this weekend."

"Oh ok," Logan replied with a nod. "Just let me know." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Can I have your number, then?" Rhuben clicked her tongue before taking her phone out of his hand, quickly punching in her cell phone number. She tossed it back to him and he caught it against his chest.

"You guys are being stupid," Kendall said with a shake of his head and a huff of annoyance. "We _don't_ turn our backs on each other. We're all _nice_."

"Speak for yourself!" James said as he patted his pockets. He let out a loud "AH HA" when he pulled out a stick of gum. He unwrapped the gum, holding it out to Sydney. Sydney looked over at his brothers before reaching out a small hand to take the gum.

"Thanks," he said quietly before he started to loudly chew the piece of gum. James smiled.

"Why _are _you doing this?" Kendall asked, looking over at Riley. She gave him a confused look. "The other day you said you don't know why you're making music anymore. So why are you?" Riley stiffened for a moment, before throwing a black jacket over at James.

"Because it's my job, stickybeak" she replied after a moment of silence.

"But—"

"Alright, you've got your clothes, let's go," Riley interrupted, clapping her hands together before grabbing his arm, hauling him to his feet. She pushed him in front of her, and waved everybody but James and Carlos out, taking the cowboy hat off of Patrick's head as he walked past her. "Move it!"

Logan exchanged glances with Kendall as they leaned against the wall, outside of the clothes room. "Some friends of yours," Kendall commented, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "Change on the Fly if I've ever seen one."

"Don't let them hear you," Logan hissed, looking over at his old friends. But, they didn't seem to notice as they were watching Sydney try and blow a bubble with the small stick of gum he was chewing.

Logan let out a heavy sigh, partially due to his friend's use of hockey terms, and because his friends weren't exactly how he remembered them. Kendall was known to have hockey be a part of his everyday life, even using terms in casual conversation. In this case, he was referring to Riley's sudden change in demeanor. It was as if there were two versions of her and they swapped out for each other whenever the situation called for it.

_But, they had been apart for years. Time does change people_, Logan thought, reassuring himself. _I'm sure I've changed in their eyes._ "You just need to get know them, that's all," Logan said with a shrug. "They're great friends of mine. Just give them time; they just met us after all." He pushed his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. "They've been working hard for years. They must be under stress or something."

"Yeah, that's true," Kendall said with a sigh as they made their way towards Gustavo's office. But, they didn't have to look hard for him as both he and Kelly had moved a small table out into the room and were sitting behind it, cups of water sitting on the desks.

"Alright, show us what you've got!" Gustavo commanded, slapping his hands down onto the table.

Carlos went first, dressed in all black, his helmet being a nice touch as it was always black and he wasn't going to get rid of it. He had a long plank of wood in his hands and broke it in half with his forehead. While it was something that was impressive, Carlos only managed to knock himself out with it.

James went next, looking to be a step up from Carlos. He used the silver wrapper from his gum and folded it around the top row of his teeth to make a grill. "B to the A to the D, that's me, I'm a bad boy-ee" he rapped, grinning widely, showing off his grill. "Huh? Huh? So what'd you think, Gustavo?"

"Ok, so Kendall is the bad boy," Gustavo decided after a moment of silence, getting out of this seat. "You're going to need to start wearing black clothing, and talking deeper and slower."

"You mean be fake," Kendall replied, raising an eyebrow, "being a bad boy just isn't me. I'm Kendall." He then snorted, turning towards James, silently asking him to back him up. Besides, I'm terrible at faking. With all due respect, Gustavo, we just don't want anything fake about our band."

"Your band?" Gustavo asked, slowing walking up to Kendall. "YOUR BAND?" Kendall blinked, looking up at Gustavo, barely flinching at the loud shout. "This is _my_ band! Are you telling me that you're going to ignore me and Griffin and the record company and _not_ be our bad boy?"

"Pretty much," Kendall replied simply.

"Bad Boy," Gustavo declared, grinning, jabbing his finger in Kendall's chest.

"Hockey Pucks!" Kendall snapped, slapping Gustavo's hand away. "Gustavo; this is really a bad idea. I don't see how this is necessary."

"It's necessary _because I'm right_," Gustavo shouted, stomping his foot. "And because Griffin said that it's up to me; I make a bad boy out of one of you, or _he'll_ find someone." He then crossed his arms over his chest. "Since Kendall will be the bad boy, I don't have to worry about it." He then clapped his hands together. "Now, _you. G_irl."

Rhuben arched an eyebrow, looking coolly at Gustavo when he pointed a finger in her face. "Yes?" she asked in a fake sweet voice, before her smile dropped.

"You're going to give private dance lessons to those two dogs," Gustavo said, motioning towards Kendall and Logan. "We need everyone in tip top shape before Dak Zevon gets here to work with you guys." James let out a loud gasp. "Oh, did I forget to mention? Dak Zevon has agreed to help you dogs out. He'll be arriving in the city in two weeks. Kelly, work with them to figure out a time for them to start their rehearsals."

"Whatever," Rhuben said with a roll of her eyes before turning to Kelly, picking at her fingernails. "You'd have to talk to my dad first; he holds our schedules."

Logan frowned. While, he wasn't too happy to knowing that Gustavo thought he was so bad he needed private lessons, he thought of it as a way to spend time with her to get to know her better, and to reconnect. But, she didn't seem to be all that thrilled about it. _When we were younger, we always wanted to hang out together_.

Kelly's upper lip curled slightly before she nodded. "I'll get right on it," Kelly replied with a nod before making her way into Gustavo's office. "You boys are free for the rest of the day."

"Phew, thank god," James said with a sigh. "Now, I can spend the rest of the day trying to prove to Gustavo that I should be the bad boy."

Logan groaned before turning towards the Jacksons. "What are you guys going to do for the rest of the day? Do you want to hang out?"

"Can't. We've got homework," Riley replied, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. She ushered her brothers and sisters out the door.

"Why don't you come back to the Palm Woods with us?" Logan suggested. "We can do our homework together."

"We can't, our dad's expecting us," Patrick said with a shake of his head. "If we don't head out now, we're going to get in trouble." He flashed a peace sign. "Later." He ran his fingers through Sydney's hair before lifting the smaller boy into his arms, balancing him on his hip.

_He's too old for that_, Logan thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. His attention was averted to Griffin, who strolled into the room, followed by his usual entourage. The four boys watched curiously as two of the men in Griffin's entourage disappeared into Gustavo's office, momentarily returning with Gustavo and Kelly in tow.

"What do you want now, Griffin?" Gustavo asked, a deep frown on his face.

"You were taking too long trying to find a bad boy, so I did it for you," Griffin replied with a pleasant smile. Gustavo's frown deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Say hello to WayneWayne." Griffin stepped aside, revealing a teenaged boy the guys' age and dressed all in black and in bling bounded into the room.

"Yoyo, I'm WayneWayne from the mean streets of Detroit," the teenager rapped, "I'm badbad as my blingbling and these rapping tunes I exploit!"

"Griffin, I already chose—"

"Give him the contract," Griffin stated to one of his assistants. Gustavo let out a grunt of pain, when one of Griffin's entourage slapped a thick contract into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Griffin was still smiling happily. "Isn't he bad? Put him in the group, Gustavo." He then turned to WayneWayne and held up a fist. "Blow it up!"

"Laterlater, GriffGriff," WayneWayne replied and the two did a fist pound before Griffin left the room with his entourage. WayneWayne then turned back to Big Time Rush.

James blinked once and then smiled, trying to be friendly. "Yo, WayneWayne, I'm-"he held out a fist to get fist-bumped.

WayneWayne slapped his hand away. "Wasting your timetime," he hissed. "Look, I ain't here to make friends, I'm here to take Big Time Rush to the next level. The WayneWayne express is leaving the station. So you can either step on, or step off." He gave a sinister grin. "WayneWayne, outout."As he left walk the room, he called over his shoulder, "it was nice meeting you. Too bad I have to kick one of you out of the group."

"We don't like him," James, Carlos, and Logan stated in unison.

"Yes, you do," Gustavo insisted, closing the contract that was in his hands. He waved the contract in the air. "You all do! He's the badboy and he's staying at the Palm Woods!" He glared. "So be good and make friendfriends with WayneWayne."

"But, what did he mean 'kick one of us out'?" Kendall asked, using air quotes. "Can he do that? Gustavo, you hand picked us!"

Kelly took the contract from Gustavo's hand and flipped through it, silently reading it to herself. She stopped, cleared her throat and started reading aloud, "With the following signature, I, Arthur Griffin, hereby state that if, I, Arthur Griffin, choose the new bad boy member of Big Time Rush, he will take place of one of the member of Big Time Rush. Furthermore, I, Arthur Griffin, state that the bad boy will front the new band."

"_What_?" the four boys shouted in unison.

Gustavo started to scream in frustration.

* * *

Kacy Knight was missing her life back home in Minnesota, but it wasn't all that different then what she was doing in LA. While she went around looking for a job, in the mean time being a stay at home mom for two kids—and three honorary sons—she would do laundry, help with homework (if Logan wasn't already doing so), go grocery shopping, anything else a mother would do for their kids.

But, the hardest thing for her was seeing her son get a job to help her out with paying the bills. She admired him for stepping up into the fatherly role to help her out since she got a divorce from her husband, but it also worried her as well. She couldn't deny that she had done a good job raising him if he could see that they were in a little bit of trouble and would do anything to get them a little more money, but she wanted him to enjoy his time as a kid and not have to worry about them.

But, it was happening again in Los Angeles; he had a job while she was looking for one. It took Kendall a while to agree to go with Gustavo to be a part of Big Time Rush, but she was ultimately glad that he took the job. He knew he would be paid a lot in the long run to help them out, and it helped knowing that Gustavo was helping them out by paying their rent for their stay at the Palm Woods.

Everything was working out for them, but she was worried that Kendall and Katie wasn't living the way she wanted them to, but what made everything worthwhile, was how her kids never hesitated to come to her if they had a problem or needed help. It made her feel better know that while she couldn't provide for them in material values, she could still help them get through their troubles. And hearing them say, "I love you" made everything worthwhile.

Even searching for a job for hours on end.

She took a sip of the coffee she had just ordered few moments ago and looked around. The coffee shop was crowded, filled with the voices of dozens of business men and women, dressed in their elegant suits, and other adults there just to relax. This was the second time she sat in Java Joe's but she wasn't surprised if it became a daily refuge for her, just to get some time to herself. Greg smiled and brought her another cup of coffee.

"This on me" He said, and she smiled shyly.

He left before she could reply and she looked around the room another time. _I should call the other moms and tell them how we're doing_, she thought as she crossed one leg over the other.

When she told James, Carlos, and Logan's parents that they were moving to California, they were shocked and at first didn't want their sons to leave, but they trusted Kacy and everyone knew how well James could sing and how much he wanted to live his dream. _They've probably called the boys so many times by now. Brooke is probably a mess._

"Can I sit with you?" She looked up, to meet a pair of green-brown eyes. Ronan smiled at her and sat down. "I mean, if you don't mind. I had a long day today."

"You look like it," she commented and Ronan nodded.

"Any luck?" he gestured towards the folded newspaper. "I haven't seen you around here the past few days." He tilted his head to the side. "I assumed you found something."

"No, I'm still searching," Kacy replied with a sigh, reaching for her cup of coffee. She took a sip and licked her lips. "No one around here wants to hire someone who's never worked before." Ronan's eyebrows rose. "My ex-husband was a lawyer."

"Ahh," Ronan said with a nod. "Have you thought anymore about my suggestion?" Kacy gave him a confused look. "About being your son's manager…a _mom_ager if you will."

"Clever," Kacy said with a snort.

"_I_ thought so," Ronan shrugged. He put his hand up in the air and gave a small wave before Greg came hurrying over with a cup of coffee. "Thanks, Greg."

"Is my pleasure," Greg relied, setting down a steaming cup of coffee, a container of sugar, and some packets of milk. He gave the two of them a pleased smile before hurrying back behind the counter to help another customer.

"No, I haven't really thought about it," Kacy admitted. _It could work out though. I can work from home, I have the boys' best interest at heart. What could it hurt_?

"The only problem you'd have is working with Gustavo," Ronan replied, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table. "Don't get me wrong, he's really professional, and gets the job done, but you just have to deal with his yelling."

"Why does he yell so much?" Kacy asked, her nose wrinkling.

"No one knows," Ronan replied, a serious look crossing his face as he shook his head. "Quite frankly I'm surprised his assistant, Kelly Wainwright, can put up with it. But, they've been friends for years, so." He shrugged. "Oh, did Kendall tell you that the band I work with is helping them out?"

"Yes, he did," Kacy replied, shifting in her seat. "I didn't know you were working with such a famous band." She started clapping a little bit. "Congratulations. Now, I feel a bit foolish that I didn't recognize your name."

"No worries," Ronan replied with a slight shake of his head. "And thank you. But, I think being the boys' manager is the best thing for you." He blew on his coffee before taking a sip. "I mean, they _are_ sixteen, and they're young men with a cool new job. I don't think they'd really _think _before jumping into things."

"That's true," Kacy replied, slowly nodding. "I think I'll do it." Ronan grinned and grabbed a napkin as he pulled a pen out of his pocket. He clicked the top and started to scribble on it before passing it to her.

"Here's his number if you want to call him," he said, pointing at the top scribble. "And here's his email address if you don't want to have to deal with him yelling at you over the phone." His lips twitched. "Although, he'll probably reply to your email in caps." Kacy cringed at the thought of it. "So what do you say?"

"I…think I'll do it."

* * *

Riley's face contorted into a worried frown as she gently smoothed the healing salve on the welts on Patrick's back. Patrick lay beneath her, stretched across the couch, trying to control the sobs building in his throat as he attempted to muffle his whimpers of pain. Noah sat down on the floor, quietly, as he held his brother's hand, occasionally pressing his lips together when Patrick gave it a tight squeeze from pain. She could feel him trembling with repressed angst under the delicate touches of her healing fingers as she tenderly cleaned the wounds.

She hated seeing her siblings like this. Being the oldest, she felt like she was responsible for each and every thing that happened to them and what they had to do. If they didn't get to work on time it was her fault. If they didn't work well that day in the studio, it was her fault. If the table wasn't set by a certain time, it was her fault. But, Rhuben, Patrick, and Noah took their fair share of beatings, twisting Robert's mind to blame them. She loved them for it.

_Anything to protect Sydney_, she thought with a sigh.

Suddenly, she heard Patrick gasp from his sprawled position beneath her, and flatten himself even more into the couch cushions. She realized with a start that she must have pressed too hard on one of his wounds.

"Sorry," she apologized to the shivering form below, soothingly stroking his black-blonde hair, as she began to quietly hum one of their songs.

Music always helped them escape from what they were dealing with back home. They could spend their wholes lives in the studio with Ronan and never get tired of it. They felt like they could accomplish something there. They felt safe. At the sound of the once familiar melody, Patrick slowly began to relax until he finally succumbed to the inviting darkness of slumber.

Looking down at him, Riley smiled, abate sadly, at how much more at peace Patrick appeared while unconscious. His eyes were lightly shut, and for once there were no furrows in his forehead to indicate trepidation. His lips were smoothed into a thin line yet still looking as supple as ever despite the split at the right edge or the trickling blood at the left corner. All in all, his face displayed that of an angle's, even with the tear tracks drying on his cheeks or the bruises painting his features with varying shades of purple and blue.

"Stay with him?" Riley asked, looking over at Noah.

"'Course," Noah replied with a nod, blinking her blue eyes at her. "You ok?"

"Do I look ok?" Riley asked back before shaking her head. Noah pursed his lips. She nodded over at Patrick. "Sometimes I wonder, whether he needs you more than you need him." Noah glanced at his sleeping brother for a moment before turning back to his sister. "I hate seeing you guys like this. Especially Little Man."

"We all need each other," he muttered. "But, we don't need you to be our mom." It was Riley's turn to blink. "We want you to be our sister, Rhubes, too."

"What does Sydney want?" Riley asked, slowly nodding.

"To be happy," Noah replied simply, giving a one-armed shrug. "What kid wouldn't?"

"Yeah," Riley agreed. "…You think it's time?"

"We've had plenty of opportunities," Noah replied, using his free hand to brush his hair away from his face. "Ronan's suspicious as well. I hate lying to him."

"So do I." Riley started clearing up the first aid kit sitting on the table nearby. "We always said we wouldn't tell. But, if Ronan asked, flat out, would you tell him?" Noah twisted his mouth to the side.

"You don't even need to ask me that," he muttered, shaking his head. "You already know the answer."

"Yeah, I do." Riley gave a heavy sigh and then leaned forward, kissing Noah on the forehead. Noah closed his eyes at the sign of affection. "Biggest obstacle is the press finding out. And everyone else." Noah nodded.

"We'll be ok," Noah commented. "You and Rhubes have kept us alive this long, we can last longer." He started stroking Patrick's hair. "Besides, dad wouldn't hurt us too bad so we couldn't perform. He still has to bring in money."

"Small bright side," Riley said with a snort and an eye roll. "What do you think of Kendall and them?"

"They've got immense potential," Noah said. Riley's nose wrinkled and he could tell that's not what she was asking. "Well, Logan really wants to be friends with you guys again."

"I want to be friends with him too, I just don't want him to find out about this," Riley replied. A fond smile crossed her face. "But, he's smart. He'll probably figure it out himself. And everyone else?"

"They're ok. Always asking for our opinion on things, which I guess makes sense. They probably want to be our friends too," Noah said simply. He started looking uncomfortable. "Which, I'm not used to. I've always only had you guys and our jobs." Riley nodded in agreement. "Sydney deserves to have friends, though. He deserves to have fun and be a kid. He's just so shy."

"So are you," Riley pointed out and Noah made a noise with the back of his throat. "We'll get through this. I'll figure something out."

"Of course," Noah nodded. "I love you, Riles."

"Love you too, No."

_Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead_

* * *

**A/N: **If any of you read the chapter before; I added another part at the end I forgot earlier. And there's the next chapter. I know I haven't really mentioned Camille at all, but she'll come up in the next chapter. Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	11. Trying Times

**~11~**

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James watched in frustration as WyaneWayne charmed the Jennifers across the Pool deck at the Palm Woods Pool the next morning. Kendall was mad. Everything he had worked for to get his friends out to Los Angeles, and someone thought he could swoop right in and take this place. He wasn't going to sit by and let that happen.

WayneWayne was the kind of person he hated; someone who thought just about himself, didn't care that he was hurting people to get what he wanted, and overall, was just incredibly fake. He barely got any sleep that night, his thoughts filled with WayneWayne and how everything started to work out, was going south quickly.

"First he joins our band without our permission," James grumbled, his chin resting on his fists, his cheeks puffing, making him look even more glum than possible.

"Then he steals _our_ girls," Carlos added bitterly, motioning over to the Jennifers, watching as they giggled at the "bad boy." His mouth twisted to the side. "Who have no interest in us," he admitted. "But it's still not fair!"

"And that's why we're going to get rid of him," Logan concluded, a look of confidence on his face. He then leaned over towards Kendalll. "Kendall, get rid of him."

"What? Why me?" Kendall asked, feeling annoyed. _Not like I haven't been thinking of a plan since we got here._

"Because he scares _us,_" James replied, motioning to himself, Logan, and Carlos.

The two of them nodded and Kendall let out a heavy sigh. James, Carlos, and Logan could act tough, but when it all came down to it, they were indeed nice boys. Kendall on the other hand, could be scary mad when he needed to be. He'd beat up any guy who made fun of his friends. No one dared to pick on him. He was too nice and everybody liked him. But, like everybody, he had a switch that could cause him to go off on anyone.

Kendall let out a heavy sigh, before getting to his feet, turning to face his friends. "_We_ are a band," he started, putting emphasis on his first word as he looked over at Logan. "And _we_'re going to do this _together_ because _we_ aren't afraid of some loud-mouth, backwards hated, droopy pants wearing-" He stopped when he spotted Logan, Carlos, and James, frantically waving their hands and pointing behind him. "He's right behind me isn't he?" The others nodded and Kendall turned around and backed up when he noticed how close WayneWayne was standing to him.

"You want trouble tourble, Kendork?" WayneWayne asked in a taunting voice. "Bring it, bring it."

"Kendork…that's a new one," Kendall commented, crossing his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes. "Look, WayneWayne, I don't want any trouble. I just want you to know that we decided that there's only room for four members of Big Time Rush." WayneWayne stared at him, blinking once, before he scoffed. "Gustavo hired the four of us. If he wanted one more in the band, he would've gone out looking for one more person."

"Great great," WayneWayne said with a smile. "I understand what you're saying, Kendork." Kendall smiled in reply, turning to give his friends a smug look. But, when WayneWayne lifted a phone to his ear, did his smile fade a little. "Yo, GriffGriff, the guys agree with me, five in the band is too many." He held his phone out to the boys so they could hear Griffin's response on speakerphone.

"Sounds fresh, WayneWayne," Griffin replied. "I'm going to stop at the studio tomorrow to see which one goes. GriffGriff out." James let out one of his mini-screams and grabbed onto the ends of his hair at the thought of being kicked out.

"You see, my contract states that I'm guaranteed to front a band," WayneWayne explained. "And I pick this band."

"Oooh, a contract," Kendall taunted, waving his hands in the air. "I'm _so_ scared."

"My contract also states, that I get a posse." WayneWayne raised a hand and snapped his fingers. As he did so, three large guys dressed like WayneWayne, but in white, walked up behind him. "Scared now?"

Kendall didn't get the chance to answer as James, Carlos, and Logan all started babbling at once before running off, dragging him with them, into the safety of the Palm Woods, lobby. Once he was let go, Kendall started pacing back and forth. His chest heaved, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. He put his hand to his chin, thinking. WayneWayne obviously wasn't going to give up and neither was he.

_James has always wanted this, and he wouldn't be here if Gustavo didn't track me down at my house_, he thought, trying to calm himself down. _No one's taking this from me. From us. We've worked so hard._ He paused, a confused look coming to his face. He was starting to scare himself; he was so mad. He didn't think he had ever been that mad before.

"Hey, guys," Camille Roberts greeted the four boys with a bright smile.

Camille was the resident "drama queen" of the Palm Woods. But, now in a bad way. She was trying to make it as an actress, and was best known for her method acting, using any unsuspecting people as their acting partners. But, her acting has helped the boys since they arrived in LA. If it wasn't for her, disguising herself as an architect, was she able to help the boys make over there dull, falsely advertised apartment, into a rocking crib.

Kendall turned on his heels to face her and he, James, Carlos, and Logan let out loud screams when they saw her dressed up in a pink and black Mexican wrestlers outfit. "Relax, it's just for an audition." She sighed, pulling the mask off of her head, before taking the elastic band out of her hair, shaking out her wavy hair. "I didn't get it unfortunately. Although, it probably wasn't a good idea to through the casting director in that flying headlock."

"Think you can do that to someone for us?" James asked in a monotone, rolling his eyes. "We're kind of having band problems."

"I can't lift Gustavo," Camille said, putting her hands up defensively.

"No," Kendall said with a shake of his head, before putting his hands on her shoulders, turning her around, pointing towards the Palm Woods pool. "_Him_."

"Hey, when did Wally Dooley come to the Palm Woods?" she asked, spotting WayneWayne outside.

Logan blinked, shaking his head. "Wally Who-ley?"

"Wally Dooley," Camille replied as if the boys should know who he is. "Nice outfit." She tilted her head to the side. "He must be up for a bad boy role. I haven't seen him in years." She turned back to the four boys, smiling. "We used to be on _Magic Middle School _together; he played Towel Boy."

"So…WayneWayne _didn't_ grow up on the mean streets of Detroit?" Logan asked, shaking his head.

"But, why would he lie about something like that?" Carlos asked, a confused look on his face.

Camille shrugged. "He grew up in a mansion in Dallas," she explained, her eyebrows raised. "His dad invented toast on a rope before he turned into a TV producer." She shrugged. "I don't think he's had lot of success acting. Maybe he wants to try singing now?"

Kendall growled under his breath. "And that guy wants to kick _us_ out of the band?" Kendall asked, his eyebrows raised. "Well, we're going to kick _him_ out of the band. Because we don't need some fakeyfakey, poserposer—" he let out a heavy sigh, slowly turning around when he spotted his friends motioning for him to stop talking.

"Hey, Wally," Camille said with a bright smile, waving a hand. WayneWayne dropped his sour look and turned to face Camille, smiling as well.

"Hey, Camille," he greeted. He then slid his eyes back over to Kendall. "Newsflash; this town is full of phonies, and _nobody cares_."

_I do_, Kendall thought, clenching his teeth together behind his lips. He slowly breathed in and out of his nose.

"So, what do you guys think of the name, WayneWayne Rush?" WayneWayne asked with a grin, showing off the large 'W' rings on his hands.

"Dude," Carlos said with a loud laugh of disbelief, "Once Gustavo finds out you're a phonyphony—"

"_You _are outout!" James added, stepping up beside Kendall.

WayneWayne stared at them before letting out a loud bark of laughter. "You guys, Gustavo is a joke! Griffin has the power and he'll get rid of whoever I say." He then licked his lips, looking over at Kendall. "And I say, it's you." He shoved Kendall's shoulders, causing him to stumble back a few steps. "Huh? Shove. "What do you say about that?" Shove. "Kendork?" Shove. "There's nothing you can do about it." Shove. "Because you can't stop the WayneWayne train." Shove. "You're pathetic."

Before he knew what he was doing, Kendall drew back his fist and shot his arm forward, punching WayneWayne across the face. WayneWayne let out a cry of pain, mixing in with the gasps of shock from everyone around them, holding onto his nose. Kendall then sank his other fist into WayneWayne's stomach. WayneWayne doubled over, letting out a hard cough.

"You can threaten me, you can call me names, you can do whatever the hell you want, but I'm not going to _let_ you do it," Kendall said in a low voice, glaring down at WayneWayne. James grabbed onto his arm, in a tight grip, pulling him away. "Get off me! James, let go so I can finish that turd."

"No, not this time," James replied firmly, pulling him into the elevator. He kept a tight grip on Kendall's arm, as he jabbed his thumb into the round 2, watching as the elevator doors slid shut. "What the hell was that, Kendall?"

Kendall didn't answer. He glared into the corner of the elevators, riding up to the second floor in silence. He didn't protest as James pulled him to apartment 2J, throwing open the door, and forcing him to sit down as he looked for Mrs. Knight. As he listened to James's hushed tone, he slowly felt himself calming down. He ran his hands over his face, looking over at his mom as she walked out of her room, joining him at the table. James didn't follow her out.

_He's probably waiting to talk to me_, Kendall thought with a shake of his head. He didn't want to talk to James about it. James looked up to him; they all did. He was the one who always kept his cool no matter what the situation. But, he snapped. And he didn't know why.

"Kendall—"

"What do you want me to say, mom?" Kendall asked, not allowing his mom to finish her question. "I already feel bad about what I did. He just…he made me so mad!" Mrs. Knight stayed silent as Kendall let out a heavy sigh. "Was I that bad when I was a kid?"

"You did…kind of act out a little while after your father left," Mrs. Knight replied in a quiet tone. She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek, gently stroking his face. "I'm disappointed with your actions, but I don't love you any less."

"I know, mom, it's just…I hate it when anybody calls me 'pathetic'," Kendall said with a shake of his head. "Or worthless, or stupid. I'm none of those things. I know I'm not. I wasn't just going to stand by and let WayneWayne push me around."

A serious look crossed her face as she peered at her son. "You…you know, don't you? You remember?"

"Know what?" Kendall asked, briefly closing his eyes.

Mrs. Knight open and closed her mouth, peering at him, but she didn't say anything. "Nothing, nevermind," she replied with a shake of her head.

"Mom, what?" Kendall asked, reaching up, placing his hand over top of hers. "What is it?"

"…It's nothing sweetie," Mrs. Knight replied. Kendall fixed her with a hard stare, and she let out a heavy sigh. "Kendall, the reason your father left…he had some problems."

"Problems with us, you mean," Kendall said with a snort, feeling his anger flare up almost instantly. All someone had o do was mention his name and he got mad. His hands shook, his head pounded, it scared him sometimes. Who wouldn't be mad? He just up and left in the middle of the night, never to return to the house. _He never saw how much it hurt us. He never saw how many times Katie cried, wondering when he was going to come back home_.

"Your father didn't just leave," Mrs. Knight said, taking Kendall's hands in hers, gently squeezing them. "I asked him to leave." Kendall's jaw slowly dropped. "It was the toughest decision of my life, but I didn't want him to hurt you."

"Anymore than he hurt me when he was gone?" Kendall asked with a shake of his head. Mrs. Knight let out a heavy sigh, dropping his hands, getting out of her seat. She walked into the kitchen and started to make some tea. "Mom?"

His heart started pounding in his chest when she didn't answer. Something was up, he could feel it. Mrs. Knight didn't answer, she waited in silence until the tea was finished, despite Kendall trying to get her to talk. As the silence wore on, he got more nervous and more mad. _What's going on_?

"I don't want any tea, mom," Kendall said with a shake of his head, placing his hands on the table, pushing the cup away from him. Mrs. Knight silently, pushed it back towards him. He wasn't in the mood for tea, but at the same time, he knew that his mom only made it whenever she needed him to calm down about something. And while _did_ need to calm down about WayneWayne, that was the farthest from his mind at this point. "Mom, wha—"

"Your father hasn't been around because I won't allow him to be around you," Mrs. Knight replied, tense. "He hasn't tried to get in contact with you for years, I can only assume that he doesn't want to be in contact with you. But, when he did try, I wouldn't let him talk to you." She briefly closed her eyes when Kendall took in a sharp intake of breath, his jaw dropping.

"Dad tried…he _wanted_ to get in contact with Katie and me?" Kendall asked, quietly. He didn't know whether or not to believe it. His head was starting to spin.

"I promised myself I'd keep you safe," Mrs. Knight said, slowly shaking her head. She then looked Kendall in the eye. "Your father used to hit you, Kendall."

_I'm sorry! I'm sorry!_

Kendall's eyes widened. He felt a shiver run down his spine. His mouth formed an 'O' but, nothing came out. His mind started running, he couldn't settle on a single thought. He looked at his left hand, where a puffy pink scar wrapped around his index finger.

_"Kendall, what have I told you about wearing gloves when you're on the ice? Someone could run over your hand. You could lose a finger." Blood suddenly appeared on the ice as tears stung his eyes._

He jumped when Mrs. Knight suddenly grabbed his hand. He slowly pulled his hand out of his mom's grasp, placing his hands on his steaming cup of tea, slowly lifting it to his mouth. He took a large gulp and winced when he burned his tongue. His eyes water and he instantly reached up and grabbed his right ear as it throbbed with pain. He stopped, when his thumb ran over a rough, small, circular patch.

_It's ok. I understand it was an accident._

He slowly ran his fingers over the area, realizing with a start that it was a burn. A cigarette burn. He jumped up from his chair, and hurried into the bathroom, barely hearing his mom calling his name. He kicked the bathroom door shut, flicking on the lights, turning his head to face the mirror. He brushed his hair out of the way, and twisted and turned his head until he saw the burn.

_I'm fine. _

He put his hands on the edge of the sink, bowing his head. He closed his eyes, slowly letting out a breath of air. _It all makes sense now_, he thought, closing his eyes. His overwhelming anger for his dad; most of the time not really knowing, apart from his sudden leaving, why he hated him. His bursts of anger every now and then. Why he felt the need to always protect Katie from everybody. Why he punched WayneWayne. _I can't believe this_. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember. He clenched his teeth, he tightened his grip on the sink. _Think, Kendall, think! _Breathing heavily, he looked up into the mirror.

"Why can't I remember?" he asked himself, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Kendall, are you ok?" Mrs. Knight asked, slipping into the bathroom, putting a hand on his shoulder.

_Yes. No. _Kendall turned around to face her, looking her in the eyes. He instantly relaxed, something she could always do whenever he was a kid. He only had to see the warmth and love in her eyes and he knew that everything was going to be ok. She had saved him and protected Katie. And here they were living in California, doing something thousands of people wished they could do.

"Yeah," he replied, slowly nodding. "I am." He stepped forward and gave his mom a tight hug. "I love you, mom. Thank you for everything."

"I love you, too, Kendall," Mrs. Knight replied, hugging her son back. She stepped back and gazed up at him, lifting her hands to cup his cheeks. She gave a warm smile. "No need to thank me; it's my job." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm really proud of you, Kendall."

"Thanks, mom," Kendall said. He then left the bathroom and saw James standing at the table, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Everything ok?" James asked.

"It will be, once WayneWayne's gone," Kendall replied, twisting his mouth to the side. "Let's go talk to Gustavo and tell him everything that's been going on."

..

.

"WayneWayne is a total fraud," Logan cried, throwing his arms into the air, looking over at his music producer, silently willing him to dosomething.

"He wants to kick Kendall out of the band," James added and Kendall shrugged behind him.

"Really?" Gustavo looked interested; his eyebrows raising behind his sunglasses. He slowly grinned, motioning towards Logan. "I would have bet on Logan."

Logan laughed sarcastically. "Well you would've _lost,_" he declared, jabbing Gustavo in the chest with his index finger. Gustavo glanced down at Logan's hand and then back up in Logan's face. "Sorry."

"Whoa," Kelly cried, holding up a hand. She turned towards Gustavo. "We can't let WayneWayne kick Kendall out of the band. Gustavo, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Gustavo replied with a shrug.

"Gustavo, you can't let Griffin tell you what to do with _your_ band," Kendall protested. "_You _wouldn't even _have_ this band if it wasn't for me."

"Not to mention my good looks and talent," James said with a grin, smoothing down his hair.

"Yeah, that, too," Kendall said, patting James on the shoulder.

Gustavo sighed loudly and took off his sunglasses, rubbing his eyes. "It's not my band, ok?" he stated, sounding defeated. "It's Griffin's." He slapped his hands against his sides, dropping his sunglasses. "Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't had a hit in a while."

Carlos snorted. "_That's _the biggest understatement of the century," he joked. Gustavo glared at him and he quickly shut up.

"This band is my ticket back to the top," Gustavo continued as if Carlos hadn't said anything, "and until I get there, what he says goes."

"We'll team up," Kendall suggested. "I have a plan and—"

"No," Gustavo replied sharply.

"We need cool code names," James added, as if he didn't hear anything that Gustavo had just told him. "I'll be The Falcon."

"I'll be The Snowman," Logan added.

"And we'll need tree-hats," Carlos said, tapping his chin in thought. "Just let us go back to the crib and we'll get some." He started whistling, moving past Gustavo, but Gustavo shot out his hand, catching Carlos in the chest, pushing him back.

"No tree-hats!" he snapped. "And NO PLANS! What Griffin says, goes! If he wants WayneWayne to replace you, then Griffin will find a way to replace you. I don't want you dogs pulling any of your schemes and shenanigans to get me in trouble with Griffin and the Record Company." He grabbed sheets of paper from Kelly. "Now, here are your lyric sheets for the song you're going to sing for Griffin in one hour." He wrote each of the boys' names on the sheet of paper and slapped it into each of their chests and walked away. "Study them, lean them. Got it?"

"Got it." The four boys chorused in reply. Gustavo let out a huff of annoyance, storming into his office, slamming the door shut behind him. Kelly shook her head, making her way into the office. Minutes later, Gustavo and Kelly started yelling at each other.

"Kendall…we're _still_ going along with your plan, right?" Logan asked, turning towards him.

A slow smile crossed Kendall's face. "Yyep," he replied, before looking Logan in the eye. "But, I'm going to need your help."

* * *

Riley grabbed the remote from Sydney, ignoring his 'hey' of protest, and changed the channel to Nickelodeon where a Rugrats marathon was currently playing. Sydney climbed onto Riley's lap and rested his head on her shoulder. Riley wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek on top of his head.

"Riles?" Sydney asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Riley kept her eyes on the TV. She turned her gaze from the TV when he didn't say anything. "What Syd?"

"You know that saying, 'If you know someone who is being abused and you look the other way, you are just as bad as the abuser yourself?'" Sydney asked slowly, as if he was choosing his words closely.

"Yeah," Riley nodded.

"Well, are we abusing ourselves? Because, we don't ever try and get help," Sydney whispered.

Riley let out a heavy sigh. "You know why we can't." Sydney gazed up at her, a frown on his face. "Everything will turn to shit if we do."

"We don't know that for sure," Sydney started messing with the ring on Riley's left hand. "And that's two dollars in the potty mouth bucket." Riley chuckled.

"While that may be true, I don't want to risk losing you guys," Riley said leaning her head back. "If we do tell, they'll put us into foster care, and we might be split up there." She then tickled his sides and he giggled and squirmed, trying to get out of her grasp. "I'll write an 'I owe you'."

"Well, you and Rhu-Rhu don't have to take the pain for us anymore," Sydney said crossing his arms over his chest. He stuck out his chest, trying to look tough "We can take it."

"Don't worry about us," Riley said brushing Sydney's hair out of his face. "It's our job to protect you. Ok?" Sydney let out a heavy sigh, looking like he deflated.

"Ok," Sydney said giving her a small kiss on the cheek and a smile. "I love you, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Riley smiled. "I love you, too."

"Quit lying around," Robert snapped, as he threw the front door open, hand filled with letters. The door crashed into the wall behind it. "Someone make me some coffee."

"Yes, sir," Riley muttered with a sigh as she slowly got to her feet, setting Sydney down on the floor. She crossed the room to the kitchen and filled the pot with hot water. She looked over at the door when she heard a knock.

"That must be Ronan," Robert commented, staring at the letters in his hands and he quickly sorted them. "He's taking you to the studio today. I have meetings all day." He set the mail down on the kitchen table, running his fingers through his hair. "_Someone_ get the door."

"We got it," Patrick and Noah said in unison, walking into the kitchen, shouldering backpacks. They hurried to the front door, grasping the handle at the am time, pulling it open.

"Morning guys," Ronan McGuire greeted the group as Patrick and Noah opened the door for him. "You guys ready to go?" The Jacksons hurried to gather their last minute things, before rejoining Ronan by the door, Rhuben in tow.

Ronan clapped Robert on the back, getting a grunt in reply. "Long night?" he asked.

"You don't know the half of it," Patrick muttered.

"Well, I know you have meetings all day," Ronan offered, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "I can have the kids over at my place for dinner if you want."

"That's…a good idea," Robert said, turning to face the music producer, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your apartment isn't that far, I'll pick them up from over there once I'm done."

"Then, let's head out," Ronan said to the group of siblings. "I've got muffins in the car."

"Yay!" Sydney cheered, running over to Ronan, throwing his arms around him in a hug. "Bye, daddy." He gave Robert a wave, following his brothers and sisters out the door. Patrick was the first to the car, throwing the passenger seat open, grabbing the box of muffins, taking a large bite out of it.

"Thabks, Gogan," Patrick managed to choke out around a mouthful of blueberry muffin. Ronan gave a nod in reply before moving to sit down in the driver's seat. Normally, something like that would gross him out, but he's known Patrick since the teenager was going on seven years old, so not much could gross him out.

"No problem, guys," Ronan replied as he stretched the seatbelt over his chest. He turned on the car, shifting it into reverse, putting his arm around the back of the passenger seat. "I wasn't sure if you had already eaten this morning." As he slowly backed the car out of the driveway, he noticed Noah and Riley exchange a glance before Riley turned to look out the window, looking bored.

"Do you have a lot planned for us today?" Rhuben asked, staring down at her phone.

"Continuing work on the new song, but that's really it," Ronan replied, shifting the car into drive, heading down the road. "I want to knock it out as much as I can. Why?"

"Mind stopping by Rocque Records for a little bit?" Rhuben asked in reply. "Logan texted us; something's going down that they need our help with." She paused for a moment. "Not that _that's_ a big surprise."

"Just remember that you were new to this thing at one point," Ronan reminded her, swinging his hand up to hit the turn signal. "But, that's not a problem. Tell him we're on our way." He started humming as he merged into the flow of traffic.

"So. Why are you so happy?" Riley asked, continuing to stare out the window. Ronan gave her an odd look in the "You've been smiling since you've got back from your smoko the other day."

"You know I don't smoke," Ronan replied.

"Coffee break," Sydney translated, "smoko means smoke or coffee break, Ronan." He shook his head, giving him a playful smile. "With all the time you've spent with us, you'd think your Aussie slang was better."

"You'd think," Ronan repeated, deadpan.

"Don't change the subject," Rhuben called out, an amused look on her face. "So, who is she?"

"How'd you know it had to do with my meeting a woman?" Ronan asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled, he knew they weren't going to drop the subject. But, he had no problem being open with them, he never lied to them, and if he thought there was something they didn't need to know, he just chose not to answer their questions.

Rhuben smirked, something she was famous for. "The same way _you_ knew it had something to do with a woman," she replied.

"Good point," Ronan said.

"So?" Patrick asked loudly, spraying mashed up bits of muffin all over the glove compartment in front of him. "Who's the Sheila? Is she hot or what?" He ignored the look of annoyance that Riley and Rhuben shot his way as well as the hard kick to the back of his courtesy of Noah.

"Next time say it, don't spray it," Ronan said as Patrick looked for tissues to wipe at the spit and mashed up muffin bits.

"She's…yeah, I guess she's pretty," Ronan replied.

"Just pretty?" Sydney spoke up as she started to pick at his fingernails. "Not beautiful?"

"You're never going to get a girlfriend if you don't do anything about it," Riley said in a sing-song voice. "What'd you talk about?"

"Well, that's the funny thing," Ronan said, sitting up in his chair. "I ran into her, literally, when I was going to leave the store, and so I offered to pay for her coffee and a muffin."

"Good, good," Patrick clapped, praising Ronan. "You get points for that one."

"Thanks," Ronan laughed. "So, she was out looking for a job as she just moved out here to California. Her name is Kacy Knight, she's Kendall and Katie's mom."

"So, you're dating a woman that has kids?" Patrick asked, tilting his head to the side. "Just so I'm clear on what you're talking about."

"We're not dating, I just bought her coffee and a muffin," Ronan replied. "And sat and talked to her the second time I saw her."

"Sounds like a date to me," Noah muttered, offering a small smile.

"I don't know if I'm going to see her again," Ronan said with a shake of his head.

"But, you want to," Sydney replied. "You wouldn't be smiling so much if you didn't want to. And you will see her again."

"Alright," Ronan said with a laugh. "Enough prying into my love life."

"Or lack of it," Riley said with a sweet smile.

"And we're not prying, you're just answering our questions," Rhuben added. She held her hands up in defense when Ronan gave her a warning look. "Alright, alright, we'll belt up."

"So, after we're done with this new song, we'll continue working on some of your older ones; make sure those are all perfect before mixing them," Ronan said, glancing over his left shoulder before he merged. "Have you guys gotten any ideas yet, though?" He got silence in reply and frowned. "No? Normally, you guys are bombarding me with ideas."

"It's different this time," Noah quietly replied, shrugging.

"How so?" Ronan asked. His frown deepened when Noah shrugged again, his eyes flickered over the kids in the backseat as he peered into the rearview mirror. "Is something going on at home or…something?"He watched as Riley and Noah exchanged looks again. "I can't help you if you don't say anything."

"What do you mean by that?" Sydney asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"I mean," Ronan sighed. "If your dad's been giving you a hard time, I can talk to him, let him ease up a little bit. If it's making you this uninspired then it's a problem."

"Thanks," Patrick muttered. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

_Something must really be bothering them, _Ronan thought, returning his attention to the road. As he pulled up to a stop light, he bit down on his thumbnail. _ In all the years I've produced for them, I've never seen them in such a rut. Sydney was fine this morning but as soon as I mentioned their dad….it has to be about him. I'll talk to him when he comes in._ _There's definitely something off with them. _

Minutes later, they arrived at Rocque Records, practically being bombarded by Big Time Rush as they hurried out to greet them at their car, talking in unison, and trying to explain everything that was going on, while practically pushing and shoving them to the costume closet.

"Wait, wait," Riley said, trying to gain control of the situation. She grit her teeth when the four boys continued to talk over each other. "SHUT UP, YA BOOFHEADS!" She shook her head when they all fell silent. "You think _punching_ a guy is the way to get what you want?"

"I was mad, alright?" Kendall asked with a frown. "And he's not all that, like he seems to think he is."

"Neither are you," Rhuben replied, automatically. Kendall blinked once.

"I think he looks kind of cute," Riley commented. She arched an eyebrow when Kendall scoffed. "Well, then maybe you deserve to be replaced." She turned to face her brothers and sister, directing them to start looking through clothes. She walked over to a rack of clothes, tilting her head to the side, glancing at a pair of black pants before shaking her head, moving on to another pair.

"Riles meant what she said," Rhuben commented, looking up from her phone when she noticed all four boys were silently staring at her. "And I agree with her." She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Maybe you're not mean to be in the band."

"But—"

"_That's _Riley?" James asked, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought you were Riley." Rhuben's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything else.

"We wouldn't be a band without, Kendall," Logan said quietly, peering at her. "You know that."

"I also know he's got a wicked temper for someone who's most likely trying to be something he's not," Rhuben replied, eyeing Kendall with his piercing eyes. "I don't think Gustavo wants to work with someone who could easily fly off the handle."

Kendall turned his head, but didn't say anything for a moment. "I want this as bad as Carlos and Logan," he said quietly. He motioned over to James. "But, not James, James has always dreamed about this. This hasn't always been my dream. But, I've worked too hard while I've been out here to just get kicked out like that. I'm not letting my teammates and my friends down. I'm not letting Gustavo down."

"Nice speech," Patrick commented, throwing Riley a black vest. "Does it come with tissues?" Noah elbowed Patrick hard in the side. Kendall gave Patrick a confused look before silently turning towards Logan. Carlos and James looked over at him, too. Logan just shrugged, shaking his head, frowning.

"I liked it," Sydney said quietly, from where he was looking through a pile of shoes. "Here, Riles."

"Hm…I might just be wrong about you," Riley said, looking Kendall up and down. "But, I doubt it." Her upper lip curled slightly. "Just warning you though; you can't be taught how to be a bad boy. You said yourself you were 'nice'."

"I think I can get some inspiration," Kendall replied evenly, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets.

..

.

"What are we waiting for?" Griffin asked crossing his arms over his chest. He looked over at Gustavo and Kelly, silently asking them for an explanation. He, Gustavo, Kelly, Ronan, and the Jacksons were standing in the recording studio. James, Carlos, Logan, and WayneWayne were in the booth, standing behind microphones, large headphones over their ears.

"We're missing Kendall," Kelly replied.

"Oh, so you kicked out Kendall," Griffin said with a warm smile. He turned towards the sound board, pressing a button, leaning towards the microphone in front of him. "My money would have been on Logan."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Logan asked, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.

"Don't say anything," Ronan said to Rhuben, placing a hand on her shoulder when she leaned forward to answer Logan's question. Rhuben put her hands up in the air, backing away from the sound board.

"Let's hear my new bad-boy band," Griffin commented, clapping his hands together.

"Yeah," Kendall slowly walked into the room, dressed completely in black, even adding in a little bit of black eyeliner. He smirked at WayneWayne, who glared back at him. "Let's hear it."

* * *

"Logan," Kendall said to his friend, later that night, as they walked down the streets of Los Angeles, licking an ice cream cone. After getting rid of WayneWayne in a bad boy off, and after a day of getting yelled at by Gustavo, did they celebrate with a round of ice cream. "How well do you know the Jacksons, anyway?"

He surprised himself, and everybody with how bad he could actually be. But, he had help. He just thought about what it'd be like if his dad was sstill around, and he was taking his anger out on everything he had put Kendall through his acting. There was no way he could lose. He kept his spot, and he kept his band.

"They were my best friends before I moved to Minnesota," Logan replied, sounding a bit defensive, sliding one hand into his jeans pocket. He licked at a glob of ice cream as it slid down his waffle cone and towards his wrist. "We did everything together."

"They don't seem to want to have anything to do with you now," Carlos said with a short laugh.

Logan frowned, elbowing him in the side, causing him to drop his ice cream cone. Carlos let out a loud scream and looked like he was going to jump onto the fallen dessert, but James and Kendall grabbed his arms, stopping him. Carlos made a whimpering sound, leaning as far towards the ground as he could, sticking out his tongue, trying to eat it.

"Fame changes people, I'm not surprised," James said with a shrug.

"But, they haven't changed," Logan said with a shake of his head. "I know they're a little tough, but they've always been like that. Trust me." He jumped in front of his friends and put his hand out, stopping them from continuing forward. "You'll see. You just have to get to know them better. Here, I'll invite them over to dinner on Friday." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and used one hand to type out a text. "I'm sure Mrs. Knight won't mind, Kendall."

**Logan: **You guys wanna head over to the crib on Friday for dinner? Maybe we can hang out.

"I know she won't," Kendall replied with a shrug. "I think it's a good idea."

"I don't know, I think something's off about them," Carlos said with a frown.

"Well...they've been working since they were kids," Logan pointed out to them, "and they moved from Australia, to Texas, to California. So, they probably don't have a lot of close friends. Or maybe-"

"Uh, _hello_!" James cried. "They're successful musicians, they're probably just under a lot of stress. They came and helped us out today, right?" He smiled. "And I don't know about you, but with their help, I'm going to look even more hot than I do now. _And _when I go solo, I'll owe it all to them."

"Keep that dream alive," Logan sarcastically replied, looking down at his phone as it vibrated in his hand, and the faceplate lit up.

**Rhuben: **Sure

"Cool," Logan said with a smile. "You'll see; they're great. We've really just seen them in a professional way. You haven't seen them when they have free time and are hanging out."

"Whatever you say," Carlos said with a shake of his head.

"Hey, we trust Logan, right?" Kendall asked, clapping his friend on the shoulder. James and Carlos shrugged. "Things will work out. Remember, we're working with them now. If we're not friends, it'll just be harder to make it through this industry."

"Right," Logan said with a smile and a nod.

_Sometimes you have to stop worrying and doubting. Have faith that things will work out. _

* * *

**A/N: **So, do you think I'm going at a good pace with this? Do you think I should speed up? Slow down? Anyway, I meant to have this up a while ago, but I got lazy, and then we had internet problems, and then I was lazy again. Haha.

After I'm done with _So Wrong, But Feels So Right_, since that'll be finished before this one is, I'll be doing a new fic, which is Dak/OC called _Just Listen._ Here's the full summary (in italics):

_An actor with an impending expiration date and a musician riding the wave of popularity; linked together by a publicity stunt. When it's his time to take his curtain call, will he be ready to let it all go? Or will he choose fame over her?_

_"Through all this I've learned that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to just listen," Dak said with a smile,"thank you for listening to me." "I don't want other people to decide who you are. I want you to decide that for yourself. At least you still have that chance," his best friend, Rhuben replied sadly, "I never did."_

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and thanks so much for reading and reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	12. Dinner Meeting

**~12~**

Patrick winced every time his fingers came into contact with his bruised skin. He was standing in the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He had a fresh bruise around his eye and was currently trying to cover it up with make-up. Tears came to his eyes every time he tried to cover it. He let out a hiss of pain and dropped his head, staring down at the sink.

"Let me help."

Patrick looked up and gave a soft smile at Rily's reflected image before holding out the jar that was in his hand.

"Thanks," he said quietly, as he turned to face her. "Riles?"

"Hmm?" Riley asked, gently dabbing the make-up onto his face. He blinked, his mouth pulling upwards into a look of pain. "Sorry."

"Why us?" Patrick asked wincing slightly as her fingers grazed his face.

"'Why us' as in why are we getting abused?" Riley asked, tilting his head, getting more light. Patrick was silent for a moment.

"How can you always tell what I'm thinking?" Patrick asked, shaking his head.

"Maybe because you've been following me around since you could walk, doing whatever I do," Riley replied with an amused smirk. Patrick grinned. "Besides that, I'm supposed to know what you guys are thinking. How else am I supposed to protect you?"

"You didn't answer my question," Patrick pointed out. Riley hesitated before answering.

"I don't know why," Riley replied, setting down the jar. "I just know we've always lived with it and we wouldn't be as close as we are now if it didn't happen."

"Why can't we just tell anybody?" Patrick demanded. Riley suddenly looked tired. _It must be from all the years that she's taken care of us. She doesn't really split the duties with Rhuben even though she is her right hand man._

"You know why," Riley said in a monotone as if she had gone through this a million times. In fact, she has gone through this same conversation a lot. She goes through it every night with Rhuben before they go to sleep. "We'll be sent to foster care and we'll be split up. Because you, Noah, and Sydney are younger, you'll be taken no problem. Rhu and I are too old."

"You don't know that for sure," Patrick protested, almost whining. "Riles—"

"You don't think I checked?" Riley asked, putting a hand on her hip. Patrick bowed his head. "Not to mention, that you three have the cuteness factor on your side." She ran her fingers through his hair, forcing him to look up at her. He gave a smile, matching hers. "Trust me. Rhu and I will make sure we stay together for as long as possible."

"If you say so," Patrick said with a shrug.

"I say so," Riley said grabbing the jar of make-up. "And don't go into my make-up drawer without asking."

"Don't mess up my hair," Patrick replied in the same tone, fixing his hair, arching an eyebrow as he did so. Riley rolled her eyes, shoving him towards the bathroom door. Patrick laughed, ducking out of the way of a swipe to the back of his head. He looked at his watch as the two of them stepped out the open door and into the empty lobby of the Palm Woods.

"Mrs. Knight just went up," Rhuben said, jerking her thumb towards the elevators. "I don't think she noticed us. She was juggling a lot of pizza boxes."

"Fashionably early," Patrick commented, scratching the back of his head.

"You're hungry too, aren't you?" Rhuben asked, her hands on Sydney's shoulders.

"I am," he said quietly, looking up at her. He giggled when Rhuben tickled him under his chin. Noah just nodded. "You think this was a bad idea? Coming here?"

"You were the one who accepted Logan's offer, why are you second guessing yourself now?" Patrick asked.

"Because Riley told me to, boofhead," Rhuben replied, putting a hand on her hip, giving him a pointed look.

"It's a good idea, aight?" Riley asked, raising her eyebrows. She turned towards Patrick. "Do you want to eat?" she asked. Patrick open and closed his mouth, nodding. She asked the same question to Rhuben and Noah, who both nodded before turning towards Sydney. "I don't have to ask you, I already know the answer." Sydney grinned, two dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Ronan's out with Gustavo and Kelly; who knows when dad would be home and in what kind of condition. It's a safe place, and we'll have plenty to eat."

"She's right," Rhuben said with a heavy sigh, "as usual. Think of Syd if not for yourself."

"Yeah, think of me," Sydney said with a cheeky smile; his stomach let out a loud growl as if for emphasis. Noah let out a short laugh through his nose, mussing Sydney's hair. "I'm a growing boy, I need food." His stomach growled again.

"What's more it's not surprising that they want to hang out," Rhuben said, running her fingers through her hair. "I know you guys barely or don't remember Logan, but he was Riley's and my best friend when we were younger." She shook her head. "Ever since we helped him with bullies, he's been there. Guess he wants to be friends again."

"I dunno," Patrick said with a shake of his head. He licked his lips. "I mean…we've known Dak and Lizzie for three years—what with our joint contracts and everything—and it took a good two years to get used to them being around, let alone call them our friends." He then grinned, sticking his tongue out a little. "Also took two years to figure out he's not going to give up on Rhu-Rhu."

"Shut up, Patrick," Rhuben snapped. Riley and Sydney laughed a little bit. Patrick merely shrugged and Noah's lips twitched into a brief smile. "Let's just go."

"We're contracted to work with them for at least two years," Sydney commented as they made their way to the elevators.

"Yeah, and?" Riley asked.

"Well…don't you think we should try and be friends with them?" Sydney asked, peering up at Riley with his wide, blue eyes. "Two years is a long time. Dak and Lizzie are our friends. Why not them, too?" He then dug at the ground with the tip of his shoe as Noah jabbed his thumb into the UP arrow. "I've always wanted to have lots of friends."

"Syd, you know why—"

"Maybe I don't know why," Sydney snapped, interrupting Rhuben. "Maybe I don't understand why we always have to hide; why we always have to be secretive? They seem like nice people, maybe they can help. Maybe we can finally be happy."

"No one would want to take all of us, Syd," Riley said in a low tone. Sydney stomped his foot.

"You don't know that!" he cried. "You don't know for sure. You just don't."

"Syd—" Riley reached for him but Sydney turned and flung himself at Noah, burying his face into Noah's stomach, wrapping his arms around his waist. She threw her arms into the air. "So what, I'm the bad guy now?"

"No…" Rhuben said with a shake of her head. "He's just scared and tired; like the rest of us." She shook her head, letting out a big breath of air, scratching the back of her neck. "These people do seem like genuinely good people. You know, it's like Ronan says, 'Good things come to those who wait'." She crossed her arms over her chest. "We've been waiting for seven years. Maybe it's finally our time."

"We do have to get to know them if we're going to be around them for two years," Noah spoke up, scratching at the side of his jaw. He turned his soft eyes over to Riley. "Riles; you know I've followed you no matter what, but you might not be right this time."He licked his lips. "Pat and I are getting older…we should be allowed a say in decisions now. We don't need you protecting us all the time, over something as small as this. We deserve to have fun while we're here."

Riley was silent for a while, her jaw shifting back and forth. She was the oldest, they all looked up to her, and she was the one that made final decisions on everything. She was doing things for them, just like she had all those years. But, Noah was right, they were all getting older. It was getting harder to make decisions they were all going to be happy with. It's not to say that she didn't want friends, she wanted to be happy as much as the next person; but this was Hollywood.

If this was slipped they'd get backlash and have to defend their actions, or no one would care because it was just another thing Hollywood did to the young kids. She didn't know if she could handle either of those options. In short, she was scared about the reception, or if they could keep it quiet. She wasn't in her siblings head, she didn't know how exactly they felt. But she could stay in control, she could dictate what happened to them.

"Only time will tell, I guess," she finally said with a heavy sigh. "I love you guys, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get mushy," Patrick said as the elevator _dinged_, the doors sliding open. He stepped inside before bending close to the number panel, searching for the 2.

"Why aren't you wearing your contacts?" Rhuben asked, placing her hand on his back.

"Ran out."

"And your glasses?" Riley asked as Patrick straightened. "You heard what Ronan said. You make your eyesight worse when you squint." Patrick crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall.

* * *

"James, hurry up!" Kendall said with an eye roll as he slid a gray beanie on over his hair. "Mom will be back here soon, and so will the Jacksons."

"It takes time to look this good, Kendall," James called back to him from the bathroom, as Kendall dropped onto the couch, sitting beside Carlos, who had his head tilted back and was spitting his gum up into the air and catching it in his mouth over and over again.

"Oh, you mean, like a girl?" Carlos shouted back, exchanging laughs and elbow hits with Kendall. "Seriously, man, you really need to cut your hair." He grinned and slapped his helmet twice. "Or just start wearing a helmet like me. It cuts down time and it looks—"

"Incredibly stupid," Logan calmly interrupted Carlos, barely looking up from his school book as he did homework at the kitchen table.

"_You're_ stupid!" Carlos shot back, his nose wrinkling. He then puffed out his chest and gave Logan a smug smile. "You're just jealous because the helmet doesn't look as cool on you." Logan stared at Carlos, his upper lip curling, but he otherwise didn't say anything. He just shook his head and went back to his book.

"All of you guys are idiots," Katie commented as she brushed by them to move into the bathroom. "Brush." She held out her hand and James's arm stuck out of the bathroom and dropped a wooden brush into her hair. "Thank you. I don't get why you're dressing up for something so simple as having people over for dinner."

She motioned towards the guys' outfits, which were very reminiscent of the outfits they wore the first time they performed _Big Time Rush_ for Arthur Griffin. The three boys looked down at what they were wearing, exchanged glances, and shrugged. Kendall then raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Katie.

She was wearing a dark purple tunic/dress over dark wash skinny jeans, and black and pink hi-tops. Kendall's eyes narrowed slightly as she ran a brush through her hair, quickly dividing her hair into pig tails. "What?"

"Are you wearing lipstick?" Kendall slowly asked.

"No," Katie replied, her nose wrinkling. Kendall arched an eyebrow crossing his arms over his chest. "…it's lip _balm_." Kendall raised both eyebrows. "And lip gloss."

"Since when do you wear makeup?" Logan asked, looking up from his book, looking her up and down. He had an amused look on his face. "Who are you trying to impress?"

"It's not _makeup_," Katie replied with an eye roll.

She pulled the elastic band out of one of her hair and started to run the brush through her hair, bending over so it fell down in front of her face. Kendall immediately recognized the action as a way to hide the blush that was quickly rising up her cheeks.

"Honestly, I think it's great that you want to start wearing makeup, Katie," James said with a smile as he walked out of the bathroom, running his "Lucky Comb" through his hair. "I could help you out if you want." Katie gave him an odd look as she twisted her hair up into a pigtail. James put a finger under her chin and turned her head to look at him. "I think a bright pink lipstick would fit you more than that dark red, and—" He stopped when he realized that everyone was staring at him. "My mom's owner of a cosmetics line, remember?"

"Did she test make-up on you by any chance?" Katie asked, slapping James's hand away from her.

"Yes," James replied with a blink and Katie smirked.

"Katie, if you want to wear make-up, it's ok, I just think you should tell mom about it," Kendall said with a sympathetic look. He could see that she was uncomfortable with the conversation.

"It's _not _make-up!" Katie growled, rolling her eyes. "And I'm _not_ trying to impress anyone!" She threw her arms up into the air, nearly hitting James with the hairbrush. "Camille was throwing out some of her old stuff and she gave it to me. I'm just trying it out." She then planted her hands on her hips. "If wearing something as simple as lip balm makes you guys even _stupider_ than usual, then I'm going to stay far away from everything else." She slammed the brush down onto the table. "God!"

"Katie, come here for a sec," Kendall said, patting an empty spot on the orange couch next to him. "I just want to talk to Katie real quick." Katie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest but made her way over to him, dropping heavily onto the couch.

"I think it's great that you want to start wearing makeup." Katie opened her mouth to say something, but Kendall quickly cut her off. "And I promise not to make a big deal about it, but I want you to know that you're beautiful with or without it."

"I _know_, Kendall," Katie replied, an edge to her tone.

"Hey," Kendall said, just as firmly. "I'm serious. I don't want you to think that the only way for you to look better is with makeup." Katie's gaze softened, her arms unfolding. "You're at that age where you want to start wearing makeup and I think that's cool. It shows you're growing up, baby sis, and you're going to grow up to be someone I'll be very proud of."

"I'm proud of you, too, big bro," Katie replied with a smile as she took Kendall's hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"…Because dad's not here to tell you," Kendall replied after a moment of silence. The light dimmed from Katie's eyes and Kendall cleared his throat before giving a quick smile. "And I wanted to get to you before mom went overboard with it." Katie laughed and Kendall grinned. "I love you, Katie."

"I love you too, Kendall," Katie replied, moving forward to give him a tight hug. "Kendall?"

"Hmm?" Kendall asked as Katie pulled back from him. She bit her bottom lip. "What is it?"

"Do you ever miss dad?" she quietly asked.

_Do I miss what he did to us? Yeah, right! _Kendall thought, pressing his lips together. He looked over at Logan above Katie's head, before shifting his gaze over to James. The two of them, turned away when he caught their eye.

"I don't miss what he did to mom, and to our family," he slowly replied, carefully choosing his words. "And I don't miss how tension filled everything was. But, do I miss having a father figure in my life? Yeah."

"I don't remember him much," Katie admitted after a moment of silence. "But, I miss him sometimes."

_That's only because he didn't do anything to you_. Kendall allowed a smile to come to his face. "So do I," he muttered. "Now come on, we should start getting plates out and everything."

"Kendall?" Katie asked, grabbing his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Kendall bent forward and kissed Katie on top of her head.

"Of course I do, baby sis." Katie smiled.

Kendall then got to his feet and held his hand out to her. Katie smiled as she took it, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out at Carlos when he let out a high pitched, "Awwww, that's so cute!" They headed into the kitchen, and started to get cups, napkins, and plates out.

"So, um, the next time you guys have studio work, uh, can I go with you guys? Maybe?" Katie asked, setting a stack of paper plates down onto the table. She looked at all of the chairs crowded around it, and wondered if they were all going to fit. "It's _so_ boring here during the day!" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave a small pout. "I mean, all I can do is my _homework_."

"You're _not_ going to pump them for signed stuff just so you can sell it on Ebay," Kendall replied in a monotone, placing a stack of napkins on top of the plates. Katie's pout got bigger. "I'm serious, Katie. Look for another way to get money."

Katie huffed and rolled her eyes. "Who said that's why I wanted to go?" she muttered under her breath. "Fine." She looked over towards the apartment doo as it swung open. "Hey, mom. Ooh, pizza."

"A little help; please?" she asked, setting her purse down onto the counter. Carlos was immediately by her side, taking the boxes. As soon as they were on the table he opened one, grabbed a slice, and took a large bite out of it. "Use a plate please, or at least a napkin, Carlos." Carlos gave a thumbs up and grabbed a napkin as everyone else made their way over. "Everybody, please wait for our guests.

"What took you so long, mom?" Kendall asked as he walked over to the kitchen cabinet to grab a cup. He moved to the sink to fill it with water, and handed it to her. "You're never out late when you look for a job. How'd that go, by the way?"

"Well," Mrs. Knight slowly replied, "No one around here is really willing to hire someone with absolutely no experience at all."

"Sorry, Mama Knight," Logan said with a frown.

"Don't worry about it, Logan, because I came up with a good idea," she replied, waving her hand in the air. "Actually, Ronan McGuire helped me out."

"The DarkElements' producer?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. His lips twitched into a smile. "You know him?"

"Two times, actually," Mrs. Knight replied, holding up two fingers. "I ran into him at the coffee shop last a little while ago." She brushed her hair out of her face. "We started talking about you guys and about his band, and then we got into a conversation about how I was looking for a job. And he suggested that I become your guys' manager." She looked at the guys expectantly and they all stared back at her. "So, it's a bad idea?"

"No, it's uh…it's different," Kendall slowly replied, rocking on his heels. He then gave his mom a smile. "I think it's great, mom." Mrs. Knight leaned over and ran her fingers through his hair.

"What does a manager do?" Carlos asked, sticking his hand into the air.

"A manager is a person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or similar organization," Logan recited.

"Thank you, Google," James replied with an eye roll.

"Basically, mom gets to tell you what you can and can't do," Katie replied with a smug smile. "Kinda like she already does now."

"Well, yes," Mrs. Knight replied. "I'll be working with Gustavo deciding on what events I think will be good for you to go to, or I think you should pass up. Stuff like that." She rested her elbows on the table. "In fact, I'll be going down to Rocque Records with you guys tomorrow to talk to Gustavo about this with Ronan."

"So _that's_ why you've been so happy lately," Katie said with a smug smile and Mrs. Knight gave her a confused look. "You met a guy."

"It's not like that, Katie," Mrs. Knight replied. She looked over at Kendall, giving him a worried look. "I barely even know the guy. He's just helped me out. Kendall, are you ok?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine," Kendall replied with a smile. "Like I said, I think it's a great idea." He turned towards the door when a knock sounded. "Coming." He made his way towards the door and pulled it open, smiling at the Jacksons as they stepped inside. "Welcome to the crib."

"Sick," Patrick commented, squinting over at the swirly slide.

"Nasty," Riley added, but she was looking at Kendall's hand on the door. Kendall looked down at his hand and looked at the red and purple splotches around his knuckles from where he punched WayneWayne. "From what I heard, you were a nice guy."

"I am," Kendall replied as he shut the door behind her. "He just got under my skin, that's all." He looked over at Mrs. Knight over Riley's head and gave her a reassuring smile. "Been body checked into the boards worse than that. It's nothing." Riley gave him an odd look but didn't say anything.

Everyone had been asking him what it was that made him snap, and now that he knew, he wasn't sure how to answer the question. He hadn't even told his friends. James had seen him punch out a kid or two when they were younger, but from what Kendall could understand, James just thought he rarely got his buttons pushed enough to lash out.

"So, what's for dinner?" Rhuben asked. Kendall looked over at her and saw that she seemed to be looking at the pizza boxes in longing, before a passive look crossed her face.

"The good stuff," Carlos replied with a grin, waving his pizza slice in the air. "Pizza!"

"I just got cheese if that's alright with you," Mrs. Knight said as she got to her feet, offering her hand towards Noah. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Kendall and Katie's mom. And you're…Patrick?"

Noah's eyes narrowed just slightly before he gave a brief shake of his head. "Noah," he muttered, before nodding over to Patrick. "That's Patrick. Cheese is fine."

Mrs. Knight blinked, doing a double take, before looking over at Kendall who silently widened his eyes. Noah was so quiet, almost so that Mrs. Knight barely heard him talk. He silently watched her, a curious expression on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Knight said with a polite smile. "I'm sure I'll be able to tell you two apart in no time."

"Mhm," Noah replied with a nod. But, he didn't say it in a sarcastic way.

"That's Riley, Rhuben, and Sydney around Noah's waist," Patrick said to Mrs. Knight from where he was standing, leaning against the back of a chair. Sydney peeked out around Noah's side, giving a shy smile. "He's shy."

"Could've fooled me," Katie said with a with a small laugh. Patrick looked over at her, a crease appearing in between his eyebrows. She sucked in a deep breath of air, scratching at her ear as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

Kendall sighed, rubbing at his temples. _Well, this is getting off to a good start. _

"So, Logan," Rhuben began, gaining her old friend's attention, "how come you invited us over?"

"We thought it'd be good to get to know each other," Logan said with a small smile. "And so we could catch up; figure out what's been going on in these years apart."

"We got famous," Riley said, crossing her arms over her chest, getting right to the point. "But we already know everything that we need to know about you guys."

"Well, we hardly know about you, so—" Carlos trailed off. He looked down at the slice of pizza in his hands and stuffed a huge bite into his mouth, seeming to save himself from talking. "Goob veeka."

"Oh, please! Help yourselves," Mrs. Knight said as she started to move the boxes of pizza, opening the lids as paper plates were passed out. "So, how long have you all been living out in LA?"

"A while," Patrick replied, looking around the table before sitting down in an empty chair. "Doesn't feel like long though."

"So, uh, while you're here, could you guys sign some stuff for me?" Katie asked, looking down at her slice of pizza. "You know, for my friends back home."

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Patrick replied, leaning back in his chair.

Katie's head shot up and she narrowed her eyes at him. Katie hated being pointed out that she was the youngest out of everybody. But, almost being 14, she was getting tired of being referred to as "cute" or "adorable" and wanted to be looked at as someone that guys wanted to date. That, and being the tomboy she was she wasn't afraid to show people that she could kick butt if she needed to.

"Chill, I call all girls that," he commented lazily before giving Riley a sheepish grin when she shot him a look across the table. "Although, not all girls are as pretty as you." It was obvious he was referring to Katie, but he said it more to his plate.

James raised his eyebrows in shock when he saw Katie's cheeks flush pink. He turned and exchanged amused glances with Logan and Carlos, and caught what he called, the Big Brother look, on Kendall's face. It was no secret to the rest of the guys that Kendall was overprotective of Katie

"Excuse him, he's a compulsive flirt," Riley said with an eye roll as she kicked Patrick's shin under the table. "So, have you started to get on each other's nerves yet?" Rhuben shot her a warning look, which she ignored.

"You mean _besides_ the fact that they won't let me wear bandanas?" James asked. He gave Riley and Rhuben a flirty smile. "I mean, come on, you ladies can agree that bandanas would look hot on me, right?"

Riley open and closed her mouth before exchanging glances with Rhuben. "Maybe if it was green," Rhuben slowly replied.

"To bring out your eyes more," Riley added, picking at her pepperoni. Sydney reached a small hand forward, taking some off of her plate. James grinned and took a bite of his pizza, looking satisfied. Riley bowed her head for a moment before looking over at Carlos and Logan. "I meant because James and Kendall sing lead on everything."

Carlos shifted in his seat. "Hadn't noticed."

"I wouldn't take it personally, mate," Patrick said, looking bored. "It's not that Gustavo doesn't think Carlos and Logan can't sing—"

"They could be better," Rhuben commented.

Patrick set his jaw for a moment, pressing his lips together. "It's just that James and Kendall have the voices that'll easily catch people's attention and it'll help sell just like—"

"JC and Justin being leads in NSync and Brian and Nick for the Backstreet Boys," Riley finished. "And Pat and me for our band." She then looked over at Mrs. Knight who was silent, looking a little worried. She looked like she wanted to jump into the conversation, try and find some common ground for them. "For their first album, they won't have much creative license, but the more albums they produce, the more freedom they'll get. But, they're really improving."

"Well, that's good to hear," Mrs. Knight said with a relieved smile.

"Just remember that this is a lot of hard work," Riley said, looking over at Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan in turn. "Y'all wouldn't even make it through _one song_ right now. Us, and Gustavo, and Ronan and our dad, we can make you guys the best there is, but we can only do as much as you give us."

Carlos shot his hand into the air. "So, why do _you_ guys do it?" he asked. "Why do you sing and perform?"

"…Because it's our job," Rhuben replied.

"And…because it's fun," Patrick replied, scratching his forehead. He gave a small smile, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "We write music that people can relate to; to reach out and help them in a secondary way. There're people who think you've got Buckley's at doing what you want to do in life and it's cool to see the looks on their faces when you prove them wrong."

"Just do what we say and you'll come good," Noah spoke up, scratching the side of his jaw. "We can all tell that you want this. You guys have got a passion for this, like we did when we started out. It's an admirable thing and it'll get you a lot of attention."

"So, you think we can do this?" Logan asked before taking a long swig of water from his cup. "You think we have a shot?"

"Gustavo wouldn't have begged Kendall to come out here if he didn't think there was something in you guys," Riley replied, tightening her pig tails. "He's just never going to admit it to you."

..

.

"Hey, there you are," Kendall said with a smile as he braced his arms at the top of the swirly slide, holding himself up to make sure he didn't slide back down.

The rest of the dinner was spent with conversation, the teenagers trying to get to know each other better. There were awkward moments here or there, but it wasn't anything that lasted too long, especially with Carlos around. At one point, Kendall was showing Sydney some hockey things which ended up with Sydney smacking Kendall hard on the foot.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." He gave Sydney a small smile. "You know, you didn't really hurt me."

"I didn't?" Sydney asked quietly, resting his chin on his knees. Kendall shook his head and Sydney's lips turned into a small smile.

"A minor penalty I'd say, I won't stop dancing or working hard," Kendall replied with a shake of his head. "I've gotten worse bumps and bruises than that."

"So have I," Sydney muttered, his lips turning downwards. His eyes then widened and he scrambled towards the slide. Kendall frowned, allowing himself to slide down, catching Sydney at the bottom.

"Is… something wrong?" Kendall asked as he let the small boy go. _What was that?_

Sydney shook his head, padding over to Riley, who was lounging on the orange couch, listening to Logan go on and on about something from when they were kids. She jumped when Sydney dropped down beside her, curling into her side. Kendall slowly swallowed, watching the small boy bury his head into Riley's side.

_The sound of clicking heels and the jingling of keys reached Kendall's ears and he felt comfort immediately was over him._

_"Mom?" Kendall choked out. "Mommy!"_

_"Oh, my god, Kendall!"_

_Kacy hurried over to Kendall's side, eyes wide with worry, looking him over. As soon as Kendall's green eyes met his mom's, he burst into loud sobs. "Mommy."_

_"You'll be ok, sweetie," Kacy said as she pulled Kendall into her chest. He sniffed, burying his head into his mom's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I let this happen to you. I'm so sorry."_

"Did I do something?" Kendall asked quietly.

"We should get going," Riley said, getting to her feet. She looked over at Logan, giving a shadow of a smile. "It's _really _good to see you again." She then turned to Patrick and Noah, giving them a hard stare. "Please, excuse us."

"So, I'll see you guys later?" Katie asked, jumping to her feet when the two boys moved to stand by Riley's side. She ran her fingers through her hair before hurrying to the kitchen counter to grab a pen and write down on a napkin, holding it out to Noah. "It's, uh, my cell number, and Skype name, and Scuttlebutter. If you…want to add me, I guess." Noah stared at it for a moment before taking the napkin. "You can, um, give it to Lizzie, too." She relaxed into a smile when he smiled, and gave a nod.

"We should get going," Rhuben said, jerking her thumb back towards the door.

"Oh, wait a minute!" Logan said, jumping to his feet. Everyone watched as he hurried into his room. There was a shuffling sound and he came back a moment later. He held out his hands towards Riley and Rhuben. The girls blinked as they took the objects.

"Ring Pops?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah," Logan replied with a nod. "You always loved them when we were kids. So, I just thought….yeah."

Riley looked down at the candy before sliding it into her pocket. She then looked Logan in the eyes, giving a hint of a smile. "Thanks, Logan," she replied before ushering her brothers and sister out the door. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Knight. Thank you." The door clicked shut behind them.

"What the hell was that about?" James asked. "They seemed to be in a rush to get out of here."

"I have no idea," Logan said with a shake of his head. "They were probably just tired or something." He sighed, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "Well, I think that went well."

* * *

"And you _really_ think this is a good idea?" Kelly asked as she and Gustavo sat across from Ronan, as she sat in the dimly lit coffee shop.

"Muffins and coffees for yous," Greg said with a warm smile as he scurried over to the table. "Enjoy, yes?"

"Thanks, Greg," Ronan said with a smile. Greg nodded before heading back over to the counter.

Kelly took a bite of the muffin that sat next to her as Ronan took a sip from his coffee. The three of them decided to meet at the coffee house per Ronan's request to talk about the new development between the two bands.

"Yup," he replied simply after her swallowed and let out an "Ahhh". He wiped his lips on a napkin and folded his hands in his lap. "I know Gustavo isn't all that happy with both of our bands working together, but I really do think it'll help in the long run. But, there is a problem."

"_What_ problem?" Gustavo's eyes narrowed. "There BETTER NOT BE A PROBLEM!"

"Ok, there are _two _problems," Ronan corrected himself, his eye twitching. "One; STOP YELLING AT ME." Gustavo blinked in surprise and slumped a little bit in his chair. Kelly gave a quiet golf clap, looking pleased. "And two; my kids are as rambunctious as your—"

"_Dogs_," Gustavo finished.

"Riight," Ronan replied with a nod. He let out a heavy sigh. "I mean, I may not be their father, but with how many times Robert makes me look after them I feel like I am." A smile came to his face and he chuckled. "I can't tell you how many times they've gotten in trouble."

"Sounds to me like you've really grown attached to them over the years," Kelly commented with a smile. "That's sweet, Ronan."

"That's gross," Gustavo muttered and Ronan rolled his eyes.

Ronan pursed his lips and lead back in his chair, peering closely at Gustavo. He's known the distempered music producer for a few years now, and while his constant yelling and screaming did get on his nerves, Gustavo's helped him out. He would call Gustavo one of his friends (he didn't know if Gustavo would _willingly_ say the same thing about him), but he couldn't help but enjoy riling him up as well.

But, it was also Gustavo and Kelly that could give him advice (which was on a rare occasion for Gustavo) on work and things he just needed people to listen to. But, he couldn't deny that Gustavo did a great job giving him tough love whether he wanted it or not. And in turn, Ronan would give Gustavo advice as well, whether he accepted it or not (which he did, but never gave the younger man credit for it).

"_What_?" Gustavo barked and Ronan chuckled.

"I'm surprised someone as _bitter_ as you can actually keep those four boys working for ya," Ronan replied with a shrug. "Or is it just because you're _scared_." Gustavo sat up in his chair, his glare growing in intensity. "Y'know, you're scared of being a flop for an _eleventh _year in a row."

"I'M NOT SCARED!" Gustavo shouted, leaning forward.

Ronan blinked and calmly wiped the spit off his face. "Nice to know," he commented, the pleasant smile still on his face. "Everything will work out fine. My kids really know what they're doing and they could help whip the…_dogs_ into shape." His upper lip curled. "Although, it would help if you stopped referring to them as dogs."

"I've told him that a million times," Kelly replied with a sigh.

"Listen McGuire," Gustavo said in a sudden calm demeanor, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. Ronan raised his eyebrows. "You and I both want to be successful in this industry." Ronan nodded. "And while everyone can easily warm up to you, I've got to work my way back to the top. And the only way I can do that is if I _law down the law_ and keep those _dogs in line_."

"Are you implying that I don't keep my kids in line?" Ronan asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You tell me," Gustavo replied with a smirk.

"Um, they _were_ the ones that dropped all that stuff in the fountain in the lobby of the building because they liked the nose it made when it hit the water," Kelly said with a sheepish grin and Ronan nodded. "And, they started that food fight at Pink's too."

"I never said they were perfect," Ronan replied and then let out a heavy sigh. "I didn't ask you here so we could insult each other." Kelly elbowed Gustavo in the side when he let out a loud snort. Gustavo peered at Ronan and let out a heavy sigh, shifting in his seat and giving Ronan his full potential.

"Riley and them, they were in the studio the other day, working," Ronan replied, clearing his throat. "We were supposed to be writing a song, but they couldn't think of anything."

"Bad day?" Kelly asked, frowning.

She knew as well as Ronan did that the kids could easily crank out lyrics to a song. That's why the five of them and Ronan made a great team. Ronan could come up with great music and the kids could write great lyrics to match it.

"Well, I thought so at first," Ronan replied with a shrug. "I mean, that's normal for kids their age. But then their dad came and they were just…off. It could be nothing, but I've got a bad feeling about him."

"You and me both," Gustavo commented, a serious look on his face. "We all know I don't like that guy, but I've just always had a bad feeling about him. He's always…_mad_." Kelly and Ronan silently stared at Gustavo, arching an eyebrow. "I mean he's worse than me. It's like…he's waiting for me to mess up."

"Yeah, I get bad vibes from him," Kelly replied. "Maybe he's just disciplined. Y'know, likes things done his way. The kind of father that lives through his child, that kind of thing."

"You may be right," Ronan replied with a shrug. "I just wanted you to know what I was feeling. It may be nothing. But—I mean—" Ronan broke off, looking troubled. He scratched his forehead before looking up at Kelly and Gustavo. "I think, sometimes, parents forget that their kids are just kids. And that kids are really not ready to deal with some of the emotional weights that are involved with being an adult."

"You think he pushes his kids too hard?" Kelly asked and Ronan nodded.

"Which is why I think you should try and respected Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan as much as possible," Ronan replied, looking over at his friend. "Yell at them once or twice, sure, it happens. But just make sure you praise them every once in a while, or tell them that they're doing well." Kelly loudly cleared her throat looking pointedly at Gustavo who was now whistling as he slid his sunglasses back down over his face. "Kelly, make sure he does it." Gustavo humphed. "Or at least _try_."

"Don't worry," Kelly replied with a smile. "But, I don't think it'll help much. Like you said, your clients are a handful. Stick them with Big Time Rush and we're _all_ going to have our hands full."

"Yippee," Ronan said with a smirk holding up his mug of coffee. Kelly and Gustavo did the same and they all clinked their mugs together before taking a sip. "No one ever said this job was easy." He then started chuckling. "Then again, no one ever said that I'd have to be looking after a group of kids all the time."

"You're saying that like it's a bad thing," Kelly pointed out, arching an eyebrow. She gave him a teasing smile, revealing the two rows of perfect, white teeth. "I know for a fact that you love those kids."

"Yeah, I do," Ronan replied with a hint of a smile. "I've been working with them all these years, I kinda have to at least _like_ them by now." His lips twitched. "Unlike _someone_ I could mention."

"You're pushing it, McGuire," Gustavo growled, the coffee mug in his hand shaking.

_Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it._

* * *

**A/N: **And things start to pick up from here. Jo will be introduced in the next chapter. I hope you guys liked this one.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	13. Here We Go

**~13~**

"Dad and Ronan want to see us in the living room."

Sydney looked up from his laptop computer, pushing his goggles up his forehead as he faced Noah who was leaning in the doorway of the room that Sydney shared with Patrick and Noah. They didn't have a big house; they didn't really need one, and the three boys were close enough to share the room. They had a bunk bed for Patrick and Noah, and a single bed across the room for Sydney.

"He's in a bad mood isn't he?" Sydney asked setting aside his laptop and pulling off his gloves.

He uses goggles and gloves for his own protection since he's always on the computer if he's not hanging out with his siblings or if he's working on music all day. The goggles were to help cut the brightness of the screen that could hurt his eyes and the gloves he wore to keep his hands and fingers warm and to prevent them from cramping up.

That's what some people considered weird about him, that his siblings weren't annoyed with having their little brother always hanging around. In fact, some people were amazed that the Jackson's friends didn't mind having him around all of the time. But, people only say that if they don't get a chance to spend time with him and see how he acts. If they really knew how the Jacksons lived they would understand why they always spend as much time together as possible.

"When is he not?" Noah asked with a small laugh. He used his shoulder to brush his hair out of his face. "But Ronan is there so he can't do anything."

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Sydney said quietly, bringing his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees. "It just slipped out." He sniffed loudly, his chin quivering.

"No worries, Little Man," Noah said with a shrug, stepping farther into the room. "It was an accident and you were upset, that's all."

"And he—but he could know," Sydney muttered, before chewing on the collar of his t-shirt "and 'cause I said, that I know—we got hurt worser."

Noah let out a heavy sigh, blowing his bangs off his forehead. He hated seeing his little brother like this. Having been abused since he was so young, when put in stressful situations, he often reverted, mentally, back to being five years old, despite being almost 10 years old. His whole demeanor changed. He wasn't his usual, smart, and confident self, but more reserved, quiet, and the way he talked was different.

"Look," Noah said, moving to kneel down in front of Sydney's bed. He rested his arms on Sydney's knees and placed his chin on his arms, looking into his baby brother's eyes. "You know Riles will keep us safe."

"Mhm," Sydney nodded, his dimples appearing in his cheeks as he smiled, "'cause Ri-Ri loves us and she—and 'cause she'll protect us."

"Exactly," Noah replied, leaning forward, resting his forehead against Sydney's. "She'll make sure nothing happens. Now, let's hurry up before dad gets mad."

He then got to his feet and watched as Sydney raised his arms above his head. Noah let out a sigh through his nose before placing his hands under Sydney's armpits lifting him into the air, before looping an arm under his bottom, holding him to his side, balancing him on his hip. Sydney wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and rested his head on his shoulder as Noah carried him out into the living room.

"It's about time," Robert growled once he spotted Noah. He and Ronan were sitting on the couch and Riley, Rhuben, and Patrick were sitting on the coffee table facing them. Noah quietly sat down, shifting Sydney to his lap.

"What's wrong?" Rhuben asked, peering at the faces of the two men in front of her.

She had her attention focused on Ronan. Ronan cleared his throat, glancing at Robert, who was giving him a hard stare. Ronan was easily intimidated by their father. In fact, ever since they met, Ronan doesn't really know a time where Robert ever smiled. Hell, _no one_ really knew a time that Robert openly smiled.

"Before I say anything," Ronan said wiping his hands on his jeans. He leaned forward in his seat and looked each of the Jacksons in the eye. "You've gotta know that I'm very proud of each and every one of you." He cleared his throat again and let out a heavy sigh, shifting his gaze to the floor.

"Would you spit it out?" Riley demanded, shifting with uneasiness.

Patrick was biting his thumbnail. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Rhuben continuously glanced back and forth from her dad to her manager, twisting her fingers in her lap. The look on Sydney's face showed that he was dreading what Ronan was going to say and looked like he could cry at any second. Noah was the only one with a curious look on his face. He had his head tilted to the side, resting his cheek on top of Sydney's head. He waited patiently for Ronan to tell them whatever it is he had to say.

Robert let out a noise of annoyance. "Well if _you're_ not going to say it," Robert snapped, causing Ronan to flinch slightly. "You've been slacking in the studio lately, and I'm not liking it. Your dancing is off, your harmonies, we have demos we have to turn in soon, and things aren't progressing like they should."

"What are you-"Riley gently squeezed Patrick's knee, causing him to fall silent. He turned and gave his older sister a confused look and saw her slowly shaking her head, her eyes on their dad.

"We've been working hard, sir," Riley explained, "it's just…those boys need more work than we could imagine." She was silent for a moment, pressing her lips together and then said, "they aren't as gifted as we were when we first started out."

"Would it…is it really bad for us to have some friends?" Patrick asked quietly, picking at his finger nails. "Dak is gone all the time and Lizzie's always at school. And…well, we'll be seeing them all the time. It might just make things easier; make them work better."

"Look, we've worked hard on your careers and I'm not going to sit by and watch you mess things up," Robert said, clasping his hands together. "Just work harder; that's all I'm asking for." He then gave them all a curious look. "This is what you want, right? You're enjoying your time in LA, making music and performing?"

"It'd…be better for them to have someone to share these experiences with," Ronan spoke up, turning to look at the older man. "It's impossible to have them go through something like this and not make some friends along the way. If it wasn't for Dak being more of a musical theater type; he would've been on tour with them, and you don't have a problem with them being friends."

"That's because he already has a name for himself, right dad?" Rhuben asked, raising her eyebrows. Robert looked back at her, slowly curling his hand into a fist, resting it on his knee. "Or at least, that's just what I assumed."

"If this wasn't a good idea, I wouldn't have suggested Dak working with them in the first place," Ronan said to Robert. "And they've been able to bond with him through this. Gustavo's…_boys_ will be fine. You both want to be successful, and Gustavo has more on his plate than you do. This is his first big thing in ten years." He let out a sigh. "We _all_ have big things riding on this."

"Ronan, you don't believe that we've been slacking, right?" Noah asked, shifting Sydney's weight in his lap, "we just had a bad day. That's all."

"You know I don't believe that," Ronan said with a shake of his head. "Yes, you all are phenomenal at what you do; but bad days _are _kind of unheard of." He looked over at Robert, cracking his knuckles. "Your father is just looking out for you; we both are."

"Now that we've got that covered, you need to get over to the Palm Woods," Robert said, getting to his feet. "Griffin and Gustavo need us to join them in a meeting, but Kelly really needs the boys to work on a new love song that Griffin wrote up. We figured you could run things with them." He then got to his feet, heading out of the room. "Go get ready. Fast."

"Why don't we just quit?" Riley asked as soon as he was out of ear shot. Everyone turned and gave her a look as if they couldn't believe those words just came out of her mouth.

"You mean, just drop everything and live a normal life?" Rhuben asked, raising her eyebrows. "Whatever that is. We've never had a normal life, we can't just quit now."

"Why not?" Riley demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because you love what you do," Ronan explained getting to his feet, giving all of them an attempt at a smile. "I've seen you grow up with music. You wouldn't have a life without it. You're at your best when you're doing something music related. In fact; you're the happiest I've seen you when you're doing something music related."

"There's a difference between loving what we do and being forced to love what we do," Riley replied, her stubbornness kicking in. Ronan's eyes narrowed slightly and she quickly recovered. "It just…sometimes it feels like we don't ever have any space to let things come naturally, that's all. Deadlines, you know.

"You've been working for years, I'm not surprised it's coming to a head," Ronan said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Honestly, I think you deserve more time off than you're actually getting. But, I think working with Big Time Rush will really help. You've seen what they're like, fun loving and everything. A good match for you; you'll teach them how hard work gets them a long way…" He trailed off for a moment giving them a hint of a smile, "and they'll teach you how to be normal kids and to have fun."

He got to his feet, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "I'll see you at the studio."

"Riles…" Patrick said quietly, watching Ronan leave, "I think Ronan knows."

* * *

"Ahhh, I don't know about you, but I really needed this time to relax," Kendall said, cupping the back of his head with his hands as he leaned back against one of the chairs on the pool deck of the Palm Woods.

"We've barely even had time to _breathe_ since we got out here," Carlos added. "But nothing beats relaxing by the Palm Woods pool." He coughed and waved his hand in the air. "Especially with _that smell_." He loudly sniffed the air. "What is that?"

"James," Logan replied, jerking his thumb in James's direction. "He had two Cuda Man Spray cans left with a little bit left in both and decided to use both of them."

"Dude, you smell like an unused port-a-potty," Carlos said waving his hands in the air.

"Perfect," James said with a grin. "Because, in 45 seconds, it'll be time." He then flexed his muscles and brushed his hair from his face. "You know it's hard to look this good. It takes precision timing and accuracy."

"God forbid you spray your eyes shut with your body spray," Rhuben commented as she, Riley, and Noah made their way over to Big Time Rush. "She clapped her hands together. So you guys ready to go? We've got a lot to do today."

"Kelly asked us to take you guys over to Rocque Records today, she and Gustavo had a meeting with Griffin this morning," Riley added, looking at her fingernails. She then looked over at James. "Ignore Carlos, you smell fine." James beamed and a smile slowly slid across her face. "Just a slight step up from newbies but I'll take what I can get."

"Thanks," Logan said with a roll of his eyes. He then frowned, a curious and worried look on his face. "Is Sydney ok? You guys left in a hurry the other day."

"Logan!" Carlos cried, "we have 5 seconds left, 4…3…2…1!"

"Alright, boys," Kendall said jumping to his feet, sliding his sunglasses down from his hair and over his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Its girl time," Carlos, James, and Logan said in unison, jumping to their feet, sliding their sunglasses on in unison. They all turned just in time to see the Jennifers slowly walking across the pool deck, in sundresses and large sun hats. They also had large sunglasses over their eyes.

Carlos cleared his throat and stepped forward, but Jennifer 2 put her hand up in his face, stopping him from talking. "_Don't_ talk to us until you get in the top ten," she said in a snooty voice, raising her eyebrows.

"And _not_ before," Jennifer 3 added, snapping for emphasis before the three of them walked of, brushing past Riley, Rhuben, and Noah.

"Ouch," Noah muttered, and Riley scratched the back of her neck, looking like she was trying not to burst out laughing.

"You better get used to it," Rhuben commented, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "The Jennifers are what we like to call 'Fame Suckers.' They don't talk to you until you get credibility." She looked over at Riley and Noah, exchanging a look with them. "You better find out quickly who your real friends in this town are, because they'll be the ones who will be by your side without having to think about it."

"That was just a minor set back—" James suddenly stopped, looking back and forth between the two girls. A panicked look crossed his face and he looked over at Logan, who suddenly became interested in whether or not his flip flops were actually the right size for his feet. Riley and Rhuben silently raised their eyebrows and Noah rocked back and forth on his heels, an amused look on his face. "Riiileyyy? No, no, Rhuu—um—"

James was saved from answering when Camille suddenly came up, slapping Kendall hard on the cheek, the sound echoing around the open space. "How _could_ you?" Camille shrieked, wearing a bright blue and white cheerleading uniform, her hair up in pigtails. "With my mom in the hospital, and my huge fight with my best friend, and my _enormous zit_?" She turned her head to the side, pointing at a large red splotch on her cheek bone.

"Degrassi audition?" the four boys asked in unison.

"Wish me luck," Camille replied with a grin, indicating that it was in fact true. She slapped Kendall a second time, but on his other cheek.

Camille had pretty good success while she has been out in LA. She was in Magic Middle School, and had been in many commercials, and guest starred in TV shows, and had small parts in big movies as well. She hadn't landed a solid job yet, but she was happy with that as she loved getting new scripts in the mail to act out new parts. She considered herself a method actress and while she _has _taken some of her acting over the top, she has found success with lots of roles she tried out for.

"Uh, excuse me?" Noah said, tapping her on the shoulder. "Camille, right?"

Camille turned to face him, and her jaw slackened, eyes widening. "Oh my god," she breathed.

"You're Camille Roberts, right?" Riley asked. Camille slowly nodded. "That's what I thought. I recognized you from some auditions."

"You're the—"

"DarkElements, yeah," Rhuben commented with a slight twitch of his lips. "Nice to meet you."

"What are you doing here?" Camille asked, finally finding her voice.

"Waiting for these bozos to stop trying to pick up girls so we can get some work done," Riley replied with a brief roll of her eyes. "Anyway, can I make a suggestion for you audition?" Camille blinked in surprise, and nodded. "Try delivering your lines a little less—"

"Airy," Riley and Rhuben replied in unison, "you were breathing deeply between each line. Don't do that."

"Just be normal," Noah added.

"Dude!" Carlos gaped at Noah, pointing his finger in Noah's face. "You spoke! I barely heard you, but you _spoke_." He gave Noah a mystified look. "Have you _always _done that?" Noah narrowed his eyes slightly, pushing Carlos's finger from his face. Carlos let out an even louder gasp, pushing Noah and Rhuben aside, nearly knocking Noah into the pool. "Simms Twins!"

"Dude, no!" James cried, grabbing fistfuls of Carlos's shirt, pulling him back into his chest. "It's too risky. They get mad if you don't get their names right."

"I got this," Carlos said, puffing out his chest, walking over to the two of them. He put on his hockey helmet, slapping it twice, before bowing. "Afternoon, ladies."

"_What's_ my name?" the twin on the left asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Uh…Mandy?" Carlos guessed. He let out a loud scream when the two girls grabbed his shirt, throwing him into the pool. Kendall, James, Logan, and Camille's jaws dropped as they watched Carlos resurface, coughing and sputtering.

"Does that remind you of someone?" Riley asked in a monotone, turning towards Rhuben. Her twin tapped her nose, pretending to think.

"I don't know, are there any other twins around here we need to know about?" she replied. "Only, they were nice about it, I'd—"

"—push them off a ten foot cliff, yeah," Riley finished for her. Camille laughed. "Anyway, Camille, we're working with these guys, and wanted to get to know them a little more. You've known them for a little while, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Camille replied, her eyes lighting up. "They're a bunch of pranksters; in a good way. They always keep us entertained around here. I don't think we can go a day without something breaking or seeing them getting yelled at by Bitters."

"Who's bitter?" Noah asked, raising his eyebrows. Camille had to strain to hear him ask the question. He was talking so quietly, he had almost missed it. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, twisting his mouth to the side.

"No, Bitters is the name of the manager here," Camille replied. Noah flushed, kicking at the ground before reaching up to scratching his neck. Camille's eyes narrowed slightly when she spotted a scar running across the length of his neck. "They always find a way to mess with him. It's pretty funny actually."

"They sound like a bunch of jokesters to me," Rhuben commented, crossing her arms over her chest, jutting out her hip. She glanced over at Riley. "They don't sound like they'd be serious about their work."

"Mhm," Riley agreed with a nod.

"It's…we just like to have fun," Kendall quickly explained.

"Well, they don't really focus on their school work that much, but they're really serious about their music," Camille explained. "I've never seen anybody with such passion for what they wanted to do in life."

"Them and about half a dozen other hopefuls out here," Rhuben commented under her breath as an unrecognizable look crossed her face. Riley elbowed her in the side and he fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Logan, and he shrugged, widening his eyes.

"Don't you guys have any fun?" Carlos asked as he pulled himself out of the pool. He blinked when Riley, Rhuben, and Noah exchanged glances. "You _do_ know what 'fun' is, right?"

"Well, how have you guys stayed so popular?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. "Any tips you'd like to share?"

"Don't be a bludger," Riley replied evenly. Again, everyone turned to look at Logan and he frowned. Riley cringed for a moment before a, somewhat, apologetic look crossed her face. "Sorry, Aussie Slang; don't be a lazy person."

"To answer your question on how we stayed popular; we never stopped working," Rhuben replied with a one-armed shrug. She seemed bored with the conversation. "We write about things people relate to. Stuff like that."

"Hey, guys," Katie announced her presence as she made her way over to the group, her backpack on her back. She looked over at Riley, Rhuben, and Noah, and gave a small wave. Riley and Rhuben nodded and Noah gave a small finger wave and Katie adjusted the bottom of her shirt."So, what are you guys doing here?"

"They wanted to get to know about your brother and his friends a little more," Camille replied. Katie's eyes lit up.

"Oh, I could tell you lots of stuff," Katie said with a smirk. "Kendall sings all the time but won't admit to it, James is obsessed with Cuda products, Carlos is…well, stupid, and Logan doesn't know how to take risks." She was counting off on her fingers. "I could go on, I've got years worth of stuff on them. Like, Carlos hates ketchup, James is afraid of needles, Logan—"

"Thanks, but that's not the kind of info we needed," Rhuben politely interrupted her, holding up a hand. Her lips twitched into a look of amusement. "Although, that's pretty interesting." An awkward silence fell over the group.

"Uh, your welcome," Camille replied with a small smile. "Hope to see you guys around here some more. I've got to get going or I'll be late for my audition." She stopped when Rhuben put her hand up, motioning for her to stop moving. She reached up her hands and tightened one of Camille's bows. "Thanks."

"Well, thanks," Riley replied after a moment of silence, sounding like she wanted Katie to leave. Noah pinched her elbow and when Riley looked over at her, he briefly shook his head from side to side. Riley's eyebrows twitched and she turned to look at the Big Time Rush boys over Katie's heads. "Are you guys done acting like idiots?"

"That'll never happen," Katie commented.

"Because we have important work to do," Riley finished as if Katie didn't say anything.

"And I thought working with celebrities would be fun," Carlos commented. Riley's facial expression softened for a moment, her shoulders lowering slightly.

"We're not celebrities," she replied, her eyebrows furrowed together. She didn't sound mean or condescending; she actually sounded as if she was confused as to why she was referred to as a celebrity. "We're just normal kids performing and entertaining people. We got lucky."

"But, its cool going around and meeting other celebrities, right?" Carlos asked; eyes wide.

"I guess," Rhuben gave a second one-shouldered shrug. "We just do everything for our fans. We wouldn't be here without them." She then adopted a serious look on his face. "And I suggest you don't let the fame get to your head way too quickly."

"Too late," Kendall commented, looking over at James, who had a far off, dreamy look on his face. "Why can't there be a nice, sweet, _nice_ girl at the Palm Woods?"

"One who isn't crazy or stuck up," James added, snapping to attention, "but is still hot." He then grinned over at Riley and Rhuben, exchanging glances. "Like, you two lovely ladies. And your accents are an added bonus."

"Mmm, get our names right and we just might consider it," Riley said, turning her head to adjust one of her pigtails, her cheeks turning a very light pink. She then turned back to James, giving him a smirk in response to his determined look. "Good luck with that."

"Hey, I never back down from a challenge," James replied. Riley arched an eyebrow and was silent for a moment.

"I don't doubt it," she replied, her lips twitching up into a brief smile.

"Riles! Riley!"

"What's the matter?" Riley asked, turning to her brothers, looking alarmed. "What's wrong?" She blinked and calmed down when she realized that they weren't worried about something, but they were smiling and looking excited about something.

"Sup, kids?" Rhuben added, raising her eyebrows.

"Guess what?" Sydney asked, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he smiled. "You're not going to be able to guess."

"What is it, then?" Riley asked, sounding impatient. "If you have something awesome to tell us about, spit it out. We have to get going."

"Yeah, and I don't know about you, but I don't want Gustavo yelling at us," Rhuben added, putting a hand on his head, tousling his hair.

"New girl at the Palm Woods," Patrick explained, "just arrived—" Sydney jumped in.

"—from North Carolina—"

"—and is looking to be an actress—"

"—she can play the guitar, too—"

"—and her name is Jo—"

"—and she's really pretty," Sydney finished.

"She must be if _you're_ making a big deal out of it," Rhuben commented, turning to muss Patrick's hair. Patrick let out a shriek, and quickly started to fix his hair. "Jo, huh?" She wrinkled her nose. "Kind of a stuffy name, dontcha think?"

"Yeah, but she looks great," Carlos replied in a dreamy voice, "because I'm looking right at her." He pointed a finger at the door leading out from the Palm Woods and a blonde haired girl in a light green tunic dress was following behind Bitters, smiling and looking around at everything.

"Well, it's not North Carolina, but I hope you enjoy your stay at the Palm Woods," Bitters said, sweeping out an arm, catching Big Time Rush in the chest, causing them to fall back onto their abandoned pool chairs. "Let me show you to your room."

"Um, hi," 'Jo' said with a bright smile and a small wave as she walked past the four boys, noticing that they were all staring at her. "Have you been here long? What's it like?"

"Beautiful," James replied with a warm smile. "We're in a band!" He motioned towards his friends before patting himself on the chest. "I'm the good looking one."

"The good looking one that smells like a port-a-potty!" Carlos snapped. James whipped his head around, glaring at Carlos, before launching himself on top of his friend, letting out a loud battle cry. Carlos shrieked, raising his arms to stop his friend from jumping on top of him.

"Get off my legs!" Kendall shouted, leaning onto Logan, trying to stop his friends from crushing him. Logan pushed on Kendall's back, trying to get him his friend off of him. Soon, the four of them were wrestling each other, shouting about how they were going to be the one to catch Jo's attention.

"And _that _is why I don't date anyone in the industry," Rhuben said, her upper lip curling slightly. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, tapped her screen a few times before putting her phone up to her ear. "Yeah, Kelly? We've got a problem." She turned on her heels to explain the situation to Kelly, and Riley followed behind her. Sydney looked around for a moment before following his sisters, giving Katie a wave.

"Yo," Patrick said, catching Katie's attention. She shifted her backpack on her back as he looked her up and down, before raising his eyebrows. "You like _pink_?"

"It, uh, was the first thing I saw this morning, so—" Katie replied, pushing her shirt sleeves up her arms. "So, what's up? I have homework I need to do, but, you know. It's kinda…lame. You're lucky you get home schooled." She suddenly stopped talking.

"We've got studio work with them today," Patrick said, nodding his head over to Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan who were still fighting. "But, Rhubes was going to drive us and Lizzie to the beach later if you want to hit it up with us."

"Really?" Katie asked, looking back and forth between the two boys. Noah slowly blinked and gave a nod of his head. A wide smile came to Katie's face, and she quickly traded it for a somewhat apathetic look. She shrugged. "Sure, that sounds…pretty cool."

"Sweet," Patrick replied, clapping Noah on the shoulder. "Let's go, buddy." Noah gave Katie a smile before turning and heading into the Palm Woods. Patrick hung back a few steps before spinning around on his heels, walking backwards. "By the way," Patrick commented, turning to face Katie, giving her a lopsided grin. "I like your eye shadow."

"Thanks," Katie replied with a smile.

_I hate it how people can change their personality depending on the people they're around._

* * *

**A/N: **So, Jo was just introduced in this chapter, but she'll be featured more in the next one and then chapters after that. Dak is appearing in the next chapter as well. I'm not sure how long this fic will be for those who asked. It could be more than 30 chapters, but that also depends on how long each chapter is, and where the main climax of this fic falls. Either way, the drama starts to pick up in the next chapter.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. After I put up the final chapter to _So Wrong, But Feels So Right_, I'm going to wait a little while before posting _Just Listen._

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	14. Tried To Give You Warning

**~14~**

Ronan tightly gripped his cup of coffee, rubbing his burning eyes as he stared off into space. _I could talk that guy's ear off for hours and he still wouldn't confess anything_. Two months had passed since he and Robert had talked to his clients about their work ethic. From where he stood, they weren't doing anything wrong, they just had off days. All kids did every now and then. And not like he condoned it, but Robert did have every right to be worried. They did have demos due soon, and things were progressing slower than they normally did. But as the days went on, the younger man seemed to be nicer, but Ronan knew automatically that it was just a front he was pulling. _I'm not going to do anything until I have actual proof. I may be wrong and who knows if the story would get out._

And he desperately wanted proof, but the timing wasn't right or it just didn't seem like anything was wrong at all. The Jacksons, as usual barely said or did anything against their dad but was lively and happy when they were with him. But, that didn't leave Ronan a moment of rest as he constantly had an air of weariness around him. He's been with those kids for years at this point, he learned and memorized all of their mannerisms. He sometimes wondered if that was why they were close; someone was actually giving them the attention that they wanted. And he treated them more like they were his friends—which they were—instead of kids who didn't know what they were doing. They were on top of their game and Robert, surprisingly, even gave them praise every once in a while.

But, in those two months things have progressed musically for both bands. They've been cranking out song after song and even Gustavo was pleased with the work his "dogs" were doing, whether or not he would admit it. But, as those two months went by he easily found himself distracted, what with his own work and getting Big Time Rush out of trouble, but he found that his kids were acting differently.

But, during those two months he and Kacy had started meeting regularly at Java Joe's after a long day of work. And if he wanted to get some advice on his kids, who better to ask then someone with kids of their own? He found that he enjoyed spending time with her and she was doing one hell of a job as a momager. She knew the fine line between when to be relaxed and when to be serious and she was still doing a good job with keeping an eye on Kendall and Katie and their friends and making sure they each got her attention when they needed it. Ronan had no idea who she did it, but he was impressed nevertheless.

"Are you feeling ok?" Kacy asked, snapping Ronan out of his thoughts. Ronan blinked and shifted his gaze over to her. Kelly and Gustavo were also curiously peering at him.

"Yeah, McGuire," Gustavo commented before grasping his large glass of beer. "You look dead."

Ronan winced at the choice of words. "I'm just tired, Gustavo," he replied, mustering up the best annoyed look he could."I'm surprised you're not."

"Coffee does wonders," Gustavo replied with a shrug before taking a long sip from his. "How do you think I always come up with awesome song lyrics for the dogs?" He let out a loud belch. "Late nights and lots of coffee."

"No wonder you're always cranky," Ronan muttered. "You know, because of your crashes." His lips twitched into a smirk. "And I don't mean how you crash into everything because of your weight."

"HEY!" Gustavo pointed a finger in Ronan's face. Ronan eyed it and warily pushed his hand away. "You know I've been going on a diet. The results are just coming slowly."

"Mhm," Ronan replied, unconvinced. He leaned back in his chair, locking his hands behind his head. "Even when I'm tired, I've still got it."

"Settle down you two," Kelly said with an eye roll. She didn't look up from her palm pilot as she scrolled through it. "I swear you two get together and you take jabs at each other like you're little boys."

"You mean they're not?" Kacy asked and the two girls started laughing. Ronan shot the two of them an annoyed look. "You've got to admit, you two fight a lot."

"I drink coffee a lot but you don't see me complaining about that," Ronan replied, motioning to his cup. "Besides, arguing is the manliest way Gustavo and I know how to bond."

"Exactly," Gustavo replied with a nod. "But, that doesn't mean I like you."

"Hear, hear!" Ronan replied, lifting his mug into the air. He clinked it against Gustavo's before taking a long sip, letting out an 'Ahhhh' after he swallowed. "Anyway, thanks for meeting me here you guys."

"Is everything alright?" Kelly asked, lowering her palm pilot, looking at Ronan with concern. "You look more overworked than usual."

She and Gustavoo had known Ronan for years now and were good friends with him (whether or not Gustavo wanted to admit it) and they had gotten closer in the past two months. And in those two months he saw Big Time Rush, Katie, Camille, and Jo trying to be friends with the Jacksons. Some days he'd see small improvements in them and other days, it seemed like they didn't want anything to do with them. Logan was making a little more progress, having convinced Riley and Rhuben to hang out with him on Friday on two occasions. From what he could understand, it was something the three of them did every Friday when they were kids; spend time together on a Friday as a way to wind down from the week.

"Which I've always found odd," Gustavo commented. "I mean, your clients are _Bobby's_ kids. I don't get why he doesn't look as tired as you. They're even more of a handful than the dogs and they actually belong to him."

"He's probably just not showing it," Kacy replied before taking a bite of her cranberry muffin. "Believe me; I've learned the fine art of hiding how tired you are when it comes to dealing with kids."

Ronan shook his head. "No, he's not the 'family bonding' type," Ronan replied. He let out a heavy sigh. "I've worked with this guy for a while, and he doesn't like the responsibility of taking care of his kids. He tries to put it off on someone. But, Riley and Rhuben are old enough to look after all of them."

"So, why would someone want kids if they don't want to actually take care of them?" Kelly asked a confused look on her face.

"I've heard of some people wanting kids, and then later on, they just don't want to take care of the anymore," Ronan replied. "Sometimes I feel like he regrets ever taking them in. But, this is all just an outside looking in scenario." He ran his hand over his face. "Let me ask you this, though. When you first met the Jacksons and Robert, what were your first impressions of them?"

"Quiet," Kelly replied, resting her arms on the table. "Close with each other, and professional."

"Annoying," Gustavo grunted in reply and Ronan chuckled. "All they had to do was _breathe _and they bothered me." Ronan rolled his eyes and silently looked over at Kacy. He didn't want to say it out loud, but it was her thoughts he deemed most important.

"They were quiet, yes," Kacy slowly replied, picking her words carefully. "Um, timid, but close. Um…off? They don't seem as lively as other kids their age and they're reserved for celebrities who deal with fans every day." She paused for a moment, thinking. "They're polite. Always said 'please' and 'thank you' when they were over at our apartment. Always called me 'ma'am.' But, I haven't really spent some time with them so I can't really give an opinion on them."

"Don't let them hear you call them that," Ronan commented. "They actually hate…well, not hate, but they hate being referred to as celebrities." He gave a shrug. "They don't see themselves as celebrities. They just see themselves as kids who love to perform and everyone in the world knows about them."

"That's smart," Kacy said with a nod. "It's a good way to keep them grounded. James has always wanted this, but he knows how hard it's going to be to get to the top. I don't think any of them really have a problem with forgetting where they came from."

"Plus, you don't want to get into that conversation with anyone," Kelly replied darkly with a shake of her head. "I've done it one too many times. It's kinda the reason why Boyz in the Attic didn't work out."

"With a stupid name like that I'm not surprised," Ronan commented and Gustavo kicked him hard in the shin. "Jesus! God damn, it Gustavo. Any harder and you'd break my leg. I don't know about you, but I actually use them to walk."

"Ronan!" Kacy said in a scolding tone. She gave Gustavo a warning look before turning back to the younger man. "What was your first impression of them?"

"I was impressed by them," Ronan replied, a fond smile coming to his face. "I was sitting at a café not far from here and I heard them singing an acapella version of Don't Stop Believing." He shook his head, smiling, as if he was witnessing it all over again. "It was the most amazing thing I've ever heard in my life and I went over to talk to them and met Robert. We've been working together since. I don't know where I'd be now if I didn't meet them. They're pretty much responsible for me getting my job and I'm forever grateful for them for that."

He then tilted his head to the side, looking thoughtful. "Actually, if it wasn't for my friend, Matt, I wouldn't have met them," Ronan replied. "You see, he's a recruiter for Blazing Phoenix Records. I've known him for years, we went to school together. He gave me a tip, saying that if I went to the café that day, I wouldn't be disappointed. At the time, I thought he was setting me up with someone, since he had done that a lot before."

He laughed a little bit, his smile slowly fading as it died out. He then let out a heavy sigh. "But, I noticed the same things as you guys, well, save for Gustavo."

"Whatever," Gustavo replied, shrugging.

"They've always been peculiar to me," Ronan continued. "At this age all kids would want to do is go out and have fun with their friends and get in trouble. Even on days off, all they want to do is work."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You think Robert pushes his kids too hard."

"That's exactly what I think," Ronan replied, nodding his head in her direction before taking a long sip of his coffee. "Now, we all think that Gustavo pushes the dogs—" He stopped when Kacy quirked an eyebrow. "I mean _boys_ too hard. But, Robert is worse. I've seen it first-hand. It's like…he expects them to be perfect in everything they do, but they can't do that."

"It's those kinds of parents that put way too much pressure on children," Kacy stated with a shake of her head, her red hair flying around her face. "My ex-husband was like that with Kendall and Katie, but I was a little more laid back." She paused, her eyes widening slightly before busying herself with her cranberry muffin.

"If you laid back even more you'd be flat," Gustavo commented, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Kendall and his other dog friends have no respect for the hard work we put in each day to get them where they're going. They goof off, they talk back they—"

"Act like teenagers?" Kacy asked coolly, her green eyes flashing. "I don't tolerate anybody talking badly about my kids, Gustavo. They're doing their best and you can't ask for more than that." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Its pressure like that that makes kids have mental break downs. Robert _is_ a no-nonsense kind of guy. From our meeting, when we were going over the rules for both of our bands with Griffin, I got the feeling that he's all about laying down rules."

"He's always been the 'keep-your-eyes-on-the-prize' aspect with his kids. I don't blame him in that case though," Ronan replied. "It's like he has blinders on. He doesn't listen to common sense. He practically chewed me out when I told him that studio work was running too long. Sydney was practically asleep standing up beside his microphone. He was there until 11:00 and he always goes to sleep at 8:00 unless it's a weekend."

"What point are you trying to make, Daddy Dearest?" Gustavo asked, getting straight to the point.

Ronan let out a breath of air, loosening his tie. He leaned back in his chair and set his jaw. He didn't know if he really wanted to explain to him what his thoughts were, but he also knew he had to because he didn't want to feel like an idiot asking them there and then not explaining what was going on. But, he still wasn't sure what he thought was true and he really wanted to get proof first.

_But, what better way to get proof if you have more than one person looking out for signs?_ he asked himself, rubbing his chin. _It may be too late if you're just doing this by yourself_.

"Spit it out, McGuire!"

And he did just that. "I think Robert abuses his kids."

"That's a pretty serious accusation, Ronan," Kelly said with a shake of her head. Her eyes were wide and she looked a little panicked. Kacy was staring at Ronan, a thoughtful look on her face, but looking alert, and Gustavo looked downright pissed off. "Are you sure?"

"I've been feeling this way for a while," Ronan explained, trying to look calm. "I've just always had this bad feeling whenever he's around. _They're_ different whenever he's around. They don't hang out just to hang out; they don't really have any friends." He rubbed his temples. "I once walked in on them and they quickly finished a conversation, acting as if nothing was going on. But, they were talking about what it would be like if I was their dad."

"That's sweet," Kacy commented and Ronan's lips twitched.

"Yeah, but I kinda confronted Robert about it a little while ago," Ronan said, raking his fingers through his hair.

"You did _what_?" Kelly asked, his eyes widening.

"Ronan, you really shouldn't have," Kacy said, shaking her head. "I mean, yes, for the safety of the kids, you should have. But—"

"I know, I know," Ronan agreed. "He didn't give anything away. He pretty much left me with his viewpoint being he's just disciplining them and a little discipline doesn't hurt."

"Bullshit!" Gustavo snapped, slapping his hand down on the table. Kelly looked around and shushed him as patrons turned and gave him a weird look at the sudden outburst. "You should've asked me to go with you, I would've set him straight. I knew there was something wrong with that guy. If he's actually hurting those kids, I swear—"

"Gustavo, I didn't know you cared," Kelly commented, tilting her head to the side.

"I hate that guy, Kelly," Gustavo growled. "Like, I really _hate_ him. He can't take five minutes without making some snide remark about him being better than me. And just the idea of him putting his hands on those kids _sickens_ me." Ronan blinked in surprise. He didn't think Gustavo actually liked the Jacksons and to see him react like that not only scared him a little, but filled him with pride. Not that he would admit it.

"Look, I just wanted you guys to be on the lookout for any signs," Ronan quickly cut in, stopping Gustavo before he started on an even louder rant. "I've been up late every day looking up how you can tell the signs, what to do if you believe it's true and I've been reading different stories online."

"Say this is true," Kacy said. She was speaking slowly as if choosing her words carefully. "How long do you think it's been going on?"

"Unfortunately, for a long time," Ronan replied. He quickly rattled off the easiest ways to spot child abuse; long sleeved shirts, not wanting to go home, unexplained injuries, and more. "But, this guy, if he is doing this, is hiding it well. He obviously makes a lot of money off his kids, so he has to make sure he doesn't hurt them in a way where it'll hinder their performance."

"Bastard," Gustavo muttered. He clapped Ronan so hard on the back Ronan went into a fit of coughing. "I'll help you out man. I don't like that guy and I don't like his kids, but no one hits kids." He then pointed his finger at Ronan again. "I still don't consider you my friend."

"Duly noted," Ronan replied. "Either way, this would be big news for the press. We're going to have to be sure this is kept under wraps. Especially for Kendall, Katie, and their friends, Kacy. If the press gets a hold of this, they could get written up badly just for being in association with them." Mrs. Knight slowly nodded. "What?"

"It's just…Logan used to be really old friends with Riley and Rhuben," Kacy slowly replied. "They've hung out a few times, purely on platonic situations, trying to catch up. Logan's been saying that they haven't been the same; that they're closed off."

Kelly shook her head before running her hands over her face. Little instances started flooding her mind as did questions. _Why didn't I see this before? What if_ this and _What if_ that and _How could I have not noticed_? Being in the business for years, she didn't expect to have to deal with something like this, especially to people who were so well known and who she's known for a while.

"So, you'll help me out?" Ronan asked. Gustavo nodded.

"Of course, sweetie," Kelly replied with a small smile reaching out to comfortingly place a hand on his wrist. Ronan gave her a smile of thanks.

"I'll do everything I can," Kacy agreed with a nod.

"Good, because I have a plan and you're a very important part of it," Ronan replied nodding at Kacy. "They really need a mother figure in their life. They've set me up on many dates, and ruined some too, trying to find someone that will always be there for them. Considering you have Kendall, Katie, Carlos, James, and Logan to look after, I figured you'd be perfect." He licked his lips. "Don't overdo it all at once, they'll know something's up. Just be there for them and treat them like one of your own if they need help or if they need a ride, anything."

"I understand," Kacy replied. "Don't worry. I just don't understand why you waited so long to say something."

"Well, I'd feel like a jerk if I made an accusation that turned out to be false," Ronan replied, clasping his hands together. He didn't realize that he was shaking until he did so. "I wanted to get proof. Surely you could understand that." A shadow passed over Kacy's eyes as she dropped her gaze to her lap. Ronan's eyebrows crinkled together as he watched the sudden change of emotion. "I'm sorry, if I offended you. I didn't mean—"

"No, it's ok," Kacy shook her head and pressed her lips together. Ronan exchanged glances with Kelly and saw the concerned look on the African American woman's face. Kacy ran her hands over her face and brushed her red hair behind her ears. "It's ok. I understand. I'd be happy to help you." She gave a fleeting smile. "I'll do what I can."

"Me too," Gustavo said, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

"I'm going to ask that you hold off on making any rash decisions," Ronan said, talking directly to Gustavo. "I know you don't like the guy, but, I don't think he's as bad as I'm making him sound."

"What do you mean?" Gustavo all but demanded. "That guy hits his kids, how could someone who's not a bad guy do that?"

Ronan bowed his head for a moment, twisting his napkin between his fingers. "I think it's possible that Robert went through some abuse himself, maybe even verbal abuse," Ronan replied. "I'm not ruling it out; that could be where he got his tendencies to talk down to his kids. It may be hard to believe, but I've seen the guy be incredibly nice and actually be a good father to his kids. You know, taking them to the beach, getting them ice cream, playing in the park, stuff like that. Which is what makes this hard to imagine."

* * *

Kacy let out a heavy sigh as she stepped into apartment 2J. She felt exhausted as she dropped her purse onto the table. Her mind was clouded with the events that happened at the coffee shop that night. She made a beeline for the kitchen sink and opened the cupboards, reaching underneath, pulling out a bottle of wine.

She quickly and quietly searched for a cork remover and unstoppered the cork from the dark green bottle. She grabbed a clean glass from the sink and quickly poured herself a cup. She leaned against the sink and took a tentative sip, allowing the bubbly drink to slide down her throat before quickly downing the rest of the drink.

She smacked her lips, setting the cup down and just stared off into the darkness of the apartment until her eyes adjusted. She slid off her shoes before making her way into the bedroom she and Katie shared. Quietly pushing the door open, she crossed the room to stand beside the bed and watch her sleeping daughter. Katie looked peaceful, lying on her stomach, her hair splayed out across the pillows, one arm hanging off the side of the bed, one leg sticking out from under the covers.

Kacy smiled and gently pushed Katie's leg back underneath the covers. She pushed her daughter's hand up under her pillow and then pulled the covers up to her neck. She gently stroked her fingers down Katie's cheek and felt her heart swell when Katie gave a small smile in her sleep before rolling over, pulling the covers tightly around her, letting out a sigh before falling back into a deep sleep.

Kacy then left the room and headed into James's and Carlos's room. She removed the helmet from Carlos's head, which was making him sleep at an odd angle and was sure to cause him neck pain in the morning, and removed James's lucky comb from his hand (he had obviously fallen asleep combing his hair again). If she hadn't removed she knew she would have a fifty-fifty chance of dealing with a large hair knot in the morning.

She smoothed down James's hair with her fingers, taking note that James was actually doing a good job keeping up with his hair. She actually had to laugh a little bit at the thought and reminded herself to have a talk with him about how looks weren't the most important thing no matter what his mother told him.

She then made her way into Logan and Kendall's room. She wasn't at all surprised to find Logan's lamp was still on, a book held to his chest. She removed the book, folding the corner of the page to mark his spot, and clicked off the light before making her way over to her son. She gently slid the beanie off his head and placed it down on his nightstand. She leaned over, pressing a kiss to his temple, running her fingers through his hair. Her smile faded a little bit when she felt a raised mark on the back of her son's neck. She gently pushed his hair aside and let out a breath of air as she slowly traced her finger around the circular scar on the back of her son's neck.

_I've already let something like this happen to my kids. I'm not going to stand by and watch someone do it to someone else_, she thought as she dropped her hand, starting to make her way out of the room.

"Mom?"

Kacy turned and smiled as he watched Kendall push himself up onto his elbows, rubbing at his eyes. One hand rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers pausing on the burn mark. "Yes?"

"I tried to stay up," Kendall muttered, bowing his head. "Just wanted to make sure you got back." He laid back down, pulling his blankets tightly around him. "Night mom, I love you."

"I love you, too." She paused and walked back over to his bedside, kneeling down beside his bed. "Kendall."

"Hmm?" Kendall asked, slowly blinking his eyes.

"Have you told your friends about your father?" Kacy asked. Kendall's eyes flew open and he looked over at his mom.

"Do you think I should?" he asked, wide awake. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "I want to tell Katie, but…mom, it was so hard hearing her ask _every day_, 'when is dad coming home?', 'Kendall, why did dad leave?', 'Will he ever come back, Kendall?'" He sighed. "I tried to be positive, but, I'd be lying if I said I was happy when she finally stopped asking those questions."

"Kendall, I'm so sorry that happened to you," Kacy said, cupping Kendall's cheek in her hand. "You know I would do anything to protect you. When your father left I was relieved. I was relieved to know that you were going to be safe. But, I wasn't happy with how he left." She removed her hand from Kendall's face and rested her arms on her bed."All those nights I stayed out late, I knew I was taking a big risk leaving you alone with Kevin. The thing is, I was out looking for places that would take him in; anger management or domestic abuse counseling. He insisted that he didn't have a problem. And one night, he just left. I often wonder if he hurt you just to get back at me for trying to get him help."

"Mom, don't blame yourself," Kendall said with a shake of his head. "I'm ok. And we got out, and we're all here; safe and sound, living James's dream. Our demos went over well, we're staying in Los Angeles, we have our first photo shoot coming up. I just want to make things better for you."

"Kendall, you should be doing this because you want to," Kacy replied.

She felt herself melt at her son's words. But, that was how Kendall always was; he grew up faster then he needed to and was always looking out for his friends. He became friends with everybody, but she had seen some instances when he would just fly off the handle. She knew it had to do with suppressed feelings over his father's departure, but she wouldn't force him to talk about it. She always said she'd wait until he was comfortable talking about it.

And she assumed that that was why he hadn't told his friends about it as well. She had seen how they got whenever someone mentioned his father; they got tense and looked over at Kendall as if waiting to hold him back if he was going to show flying rage. They had his back, whether or not they knew the whole reason why. He deserved to have friends like that.

"I want to, mom," Kendall replied, yawning before falling back into his pillows. "Don't worry."

Kacy smiled, placing a kiss to his cheek before getting up, moving to leave the room. She turned around to slowly and quietly pull the bedroom door shut. That's when she heard Logan stir in his bed.

"Kendall," Logan whispered.

"Hmm?" Kendall asked.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

"Geeze, when is Dak's flight going to land?" Lizzie asked, throwing her arms into the air. She got out of the hard, uncomfortable chair and started to pace back and forth. "He said it'd land at 2:30 and now it's—"

"2:35," Riley finished for her, as she stared down at her phone, playing a game of Temple Run. "You need to chill."

"Easy for you to say," Lizzie replied with a pout before moving to sit down in the chair she just abandoned, crossing one leg over the other. She smoothed down her skirt before running her hand over her smooth leg. "I should've shaved again."

"He's your _brother _not your boyfriend," Rhuben pointed out from Lizzie's other side, flipping through a Christopher Pike book, looking for where she had left off.

"_Yes, _but despite being in this secluded spot of the airport waiting area, all of the paparazzi are sitting outside," Lizzie replied. "And they have those cameras that could possibly find the stubble on my legs from a mile away."

"She's got a point," Patrick spoke up, looking up from his spot on the floor. He paused his Nintendo DS game and gave Lizzie a bright smile. "Although, if you ask me, your legs look great." He let out a loud curse when Riley swung her leg upwards, gently kicking him in the back of the head. "It's just a compliment, geeze."

"Boofhead," Riley muttered, rolling her eyes. "Why couldn't it have been _you_ who had studio work today and not Noah and Sydney?"

"Feelin' the love, sis," Patrick said with a frown, turning back to his game. "So, why did Dak have to go back to New York so quickly? He was supposed to help us help BTR, right?"

"He still is," Lizzie replied. "Some guy in his musical production, broke their leg shortly after he came back here, so he had to fly out and learn all his dances and lines as his understudy. But, now he's back here to record for _Varsity Vampires 2: Game On_."

"I can already hear the vampire jokes thrown my way now," Rhuben said with a heavy sigh. She didn't even bother to look up from her book. "You think people would get tired of gossiping about Dak and me at this point. Not that there is anything _to_ gossip about."

"You can blame Dak for that one, since he never stops talking about you in interviews," Patrick said, using the end of the DS stick to scratch his nose. "Well, because interviewers ask him questions about her, because, again, he doesn't stop talking about her." He then frowned, pausing his game again. "Remind me to have a talk with him about that."

"I never knew you were so overprotective, dude."

"Dak!" Lizzie jumped out of her seat and hurried over to her brother, Dak Zevon, to give him a tight hug.

"Relax, Lizzard, you're acting like you didn't see me two months ago," Dak said with a small laugh as he hugged his sister back. He set his bags down on the ground before hugging her tighter.

"Yeah, but it was two months, too long," Lizzie replied, before stepping out of the way for Riley and Patrick to give him a hug.

"Depends on who you ask, I could've gone longer without him coming onto me," Rhuben replied before he stepped forward, giving Dak a hug.

"Ah, but in this case, it was _you_ who made the first move," Dak pointed out, laughing a little bit as he put his arm around her shoulders. "So, what do you say you and me go out for lunch? My treat."

"Can't," Rhuben replied, removing his arm from around her shoulder. "I have to meet Kendall and Logan for rehearsal."

"Ouch," Patrick winced as he shut off his game, sliding the handheld console into his pocket, "turned down in less than a minute." He elbowed his sister in the side. "I think that's a personal record."

"And I'm just getting started, too," Rhuben replied, looping her arm around Patrick's shoulders.

"It's only a matter of time until you admit to yourself that you do, in fact, like me," Dak said with a sigh, reaching for his bags. He gripped one in his hands and put the strap of the other one over his shoulder. "Besides, now that I'm here, helping Gustavo, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

"Oh joy," Rhuben said, twirling her finger in the air.

"So, how _are _they doing?" Dak asked, turning to Riley as he put his hand on Lizzie's shoulder. She lead the group of them towards the exit of the airport. "Gustavo's new boy band, I mean."

"They're improving every day they rehearse," Riley replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Still not entirely sure if this is really what they want to do."

"So do what I did with you guys," Dak suggested. "Put them on the spot. Make them prove to you that this is really what they want to do."

"You mean like you did to us?" Riley asked, an amused look crossing her face. "Don't think I haven't forgotten that, Zevon."

"Nether have I," Rhuben said with a roll of his eyes. "_His_ idea of putting me on the spot was asking me out for the first time."

"Which he was barely able to do with how tongue tied he was," Lizzie added, practically skipping as she turned around to face her brother. "The first of many. But, I think you two will make a cute couple. I just know you'll get married one day." She then clasped her hands together and started jumping up and down. "And then I could be the flower girl, and have like this crown of flowers that I saw in a magazine once, and—"

"Anyway, I _do_ have to admit, that it's a good idea," Riley said, turning away from Lizzie's babble to face Dak again. "And I don't say that that often."

"Of course not, that's completely unheard of," Dak replied with a roll of his eyes. "But, I'm heading down to Rocque Records tomorrow to do some recording for _Varsity Vampire 2_. Are they busy? I can try and meet them there."

"Ah, they have their first photo shoot tomorrow," Riley replied with a brief shake of her head. "But, they have group rehearsal tomorrow. We'll introduce them to you then. I'm sure you're suffering from jet lag and everything."

"Obviously not enough if he can find the time to hit on you," Patrick commented, and Lizzie elbowed him in the side before looping her arm through his.

"Relax, it's cute," Lizzie said with a grin, leaning into his side. She then turned towards her brother and his friends. "So, we're going to hit up the Grove. Noah and Syd are going to meet us there. You guys down to hang out?"

"We need a ride anyway," Patrick added with a one-shouldered shrug. He then looked back and forth between his sisters. "Since, I don't want the chance of dying on the way there, I'm going to ask Rhubes to drive us."

"Hey! I'm not in a bad mood, I'll drive safely," Riley said with a frown as Dak started laughing.

"Safe for you is still about 10 miles per hour above the speed limit," Dak pointed out to her. He let out a heavy sigh as they neared the exits of the airport. He could already see a bunch of people with cameras waiting outside. "I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting this. I'm going to pass on The Grove today, I'm wiped."

"Hey, you're the hottest celebrity out there, Teen Icon, get used to it," Riley replied with a small smile.

"If you want Katie to come too, we can stop by the Palm Woods," Rhuben suggested. "We'll drop Dak off first and double back." She reached for her pocket and pulled out a black credit card. "Gas is on dad anyway." She slid the card back into her pocket as she pushed open the front doors. The photographers started taking pictures immediately.

"_Dak, how was your trip to New York_?"

"_We heard you'll be working with Gustavo's new boy band, Big Time Rush, is that true_?"

"_Will you be collaborating any songs with the new boy band?_"

"_Could you all smile over here, please?_"

"_Is there any truth to the rumors that you'll be doing another song with the DarkElements, Mr. Zevon?_"

"_It's no surprise that you'd meet Dak at the airport, Miss Jackson, could you give us any clarification on the status of your relationship with Mr. Zevon_?"

"_Mr. Jackson! Miss Zevon! Look over here please_."

"The car is this way," Patrick said, putting his hand on the small of Lizzie's back, leading her towards the parking lot.

The last question they heard fired at their back was, "_It's nearing 90 degrees out in Los Angeles today, don't you think it's too hot to be wearing long sleeves_?" Patrick looked at Riley over Lizzie's head, and she locked eyes with him, barely shaking her head. Patrick frowned, adjusting his shirt sleeves.

"That's one thing I didn't miss about California, it's not as hot in New York," Dak commented as they neared the car. He put his bags down on the ground and let out a sigh when a small breeze blew, tugging at his shirt. "Hey," Dak said, nodding towards Patrick. "How'd you get that bruise on your neck?"

Patrick's hand instantly flew up to the space between his neck and his shoulder. He pulled at his shirt collar, before stuffing his hands into his armpits. "Riley kicked me," he replied evenly.

_As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do._

* * *

**A/N: ********Yes, I'm aware that Mrs. Knight's first name is not Kacy! I know it's Jennifer, I have seen Big Time Moms. I just like going along with the 'K' theme in the family.**

I know I said that this chapter would have more Jo in it, but that'll be in the next chapter. I wanted to show more with the adults here and as well, show a little bit of what Dak goes through to lead into the chapter based off of Big Time Photoshoot. Don't worry, you'll see Jo and Camille interact more with the Jacksons in the next chapter.

Hope you guys liked this one.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	15. Been There Before, But Not Like This

**~15~**

Katie pulled a brush through her wet, stringy, hair with one hand as she adjusted the towel around her neck with the other.

"Hey, Kates," Logan greeted her with a small smile, looking up from the book that he was reading. "I have a question."

Katie stopped walking, but continued to brush her hair, giving him a curious look. "I was at the pool," Katie explained, lowering her arm. "I left a note by the phone." She rolled her eyes. "Mom insists. She still treats me like a baby."

"It's not that, and I saw the note," Logan replied with a shake of his head.

"Oh," Katie replied.

"I understand your frustrations though," Logan replied, motioning for her to sit down in an empty chair. She immediately did so. "Your mom's just worried about you, and has trouble accepting the fact that you're growing up. Just give her time. I'll talk to her if you want."

"This…isn't what you wanted to talk about is it?" Katie asked, raising her eyebrows. "No offense, but I don't want an idiot like you talking to my mom about something like this. You might make it worse. You'd be like James that time he followed me and my first boyfriend around when we went to the mall." She gave him a small smile, showing that he was teasing.

"He wasn't your boyfriend," Logan replied, shaking his head, smirking. "You barely saw each other out of school and last I checked, that guy tried to put a kiss on you and I think James was right to follow you guys." He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, Kendall was studying for a test and he paid James to do it and he needed the money."

"Figures," Katie said with a shake of her head. "So, what'd you want to ask me, then?" Logan peered at her for a moment, his eyes lowering slightly. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. He bit his bottom lip for a moment before scratching the back of his neck. "Spit it out, Lame Brain."

"Do you remember anything about your dad?" Logan suddenly asked, and Katie blinked in surprise.

A thoughtful look crossed her face. Her nose wrinkled as she thought about it. She was about to turn four when he was suddenly out of her life. It took her years to stop asking when he would come back. Partly because she was tired of asking, and because she saw how it affected Kendall. He and their dad were really close.

"Nothing," Katie replied after a moment. "I just…he smelled of smoke a lot of the time. Why?"

"I was just curious," Logan replied, giving a small smile. "I'll let you get changed." Katie gave Logan an odd look before getting out of her seat, disappearing into her room. "I'm going to hang out with Camille and Jo for a little while."

Katie snorted. All the boys at the Palm Woods were chasing after Jo, why was he any different? She sat down on her bed, exchanging her brush with a comb and start to slowly slide it through her hair. She didn't know why Logan suddenly brought up her dad. She wondered if he had asked Kendall the same thing. She assumed that Logan wanted to know why Kendall lashed out at WayneWayne. Even she didn't know, and Kendall told her everything. _Not like he cares anyway. He doesn't want to do things with me anymore_ she thought with a sigh, setting the comb down. _Almost three months in this stupid town and he's changed. Just like he said he wouldn't do._

Ever since they had gotten to LA, he just wanted to go places with his friends and go to the studio and everything. While she was slowly starting to make friends herself, it did help a little bit, but she wanted to hang out with her big brother. Back in Minnesota, he didn't care if Katie was hanging around, but now it seemed like he didn't want anything to do with her.

But, she was having a good time with Lizzie, and with Patrick, Noah, and Sydney if they could hang out. But, she still didn't know them all that much. Lizzie was at times her total opposite being so girly and boy obsessed that Katie often wondered how she could handle being around her. And then Lizzie would do a total 180 and be a tomboy like her, charging out into the surf with the other guys, and playing a game of beach soccer.

Katie couldn't help but notice how secure Lizzie was with herself. She'd always be hanging out at the beach in a bikini top and short-shorts, joking around with the guys, open and free spirited while Katie often stayed in a t-shirt and shorts, joining the conversation every now and then.

Katie got off her bed and walked over to the full-length mirror sitting on the back of the closet door and stared at her reflection. T-shirt, short, pale legs and arms as far as anyone could see. She headed over to the door and cracked it open, peering out to see if Logan was still there. Seeing no one, and hearing no one, she closed the door and lifted her t-shirt over her head. She sighed when she glanced at the top of her one-piece bathing suit, tugging at a strap.

_"Kendall? Do you really think I'm beautiful?" _

_"Of course I do, baby sis."_

Katie let out a heavy sigh before stepping away from the mirror, changing out of her bathing suit and into capris and a yellow t-shirt. "Of course you think I'm beautiful, big brother," Katie commented with a sigh, sitting on her bed, opening her laptop. She curled her legs underneath her as she did so. "You're not interested in dating me."

As her computer booted up, she reached her hand into her pillow case and pulled out an old picture with one side that was torn and lots of bumps and slight folds in it. She stared at the picture and ran her fingers over her mom, a younger Kendall, and her around two years old. Her dad was in the picture as well. It was really the only memory she had of him, even though she didn't remember specific things such as taking the picture.

Glancing at the picture even closer, she saw that her dad had a hand on Kendall's shoulder. And she also noticed that Kendall wasn't giving his famous mega-watt smile. It looked more forced than natural and Katie had seen plenty of forced smiles from Kendall. She thought hard, trying to think of when that picture was taken. Maybe it was after a big hockey game and he was tired.

_"I think it's great that you want to start wearing makeup. And I promise not to make a big deal about it, but I want you to know that you're beautiful with or without it."_

_"I _know_, Kendall."_

_"Hey. I'm serious. I don't want you to think that the only way for you to look better is with makeup. You're at that age where you want to start wearing makeup and I think that's cool. It shows you're growing up, baby sis, and you're going to grow up to be someone I'll be very proud of."_

_"I'm proud of you, too, big bro. Why are you telling me all of this?"_

_"…Because dad's not here to tell you. And I wanted to get to you before mom went overboard with it. I love you, Katie."_

Frowning, Katie, grabbed the corner of the picture and ripped the section with her dad out of it before shoving the picture back into her pillow case, dropping the ripped piece onto the ground. _Why did Logan bring him up all of a sudden?_ She tapped her fingers on the side of her computer, brushing her damp hair off her shoulder. _I wish I could remember something about him. Anything. Why does Kendall hate him so much_?

She sighed and propped her chin on her fists, staring at her computer, barely remembering why she had even logged in in the first place. "Why _does_ Kendall hate him so much?" she whispered, her eyes narrowing slighty. "Mom's gotten over it. Why can't I remember him at all?"

She jumped when a jingle hit the air and she saw a little notification pop up on her Skaype profile. She leaned forward and saw that Lizzie had requested to be a contact with her. She accepted and seconds later, she was accepting a video chat.

"It's about time! I added you a while ago!" Lizzie cried, throwing her arms into the air.

"Sorry, I—"

"Hey, girl, listen up," Lizzie said, slapping her hands down on her knees. "I was hoping you'd be online by now."

"Um, why?" Katie asked, giving Lizzie a weird look at her bubbly-ness. She then noticed that her Lizzie's words were echoing. "And where are you?"

"Home," Lizzie replied with a shrug. "Big rooms. So, what's up?"

"I went down to the pool. It was fun," Katie replied with a smile. "It's better than staying in this apartment doing nothing all day anyway."

"I know the feeling," Lizzie replied with a small laugh quickly twisting her hair up into a bun. "My parents are out a lot. They're casting directors and Dak has a lot of stuff to do during the day, so—" she gave a shrug. "I'm out at the beach a lot. Speaking of which, you need to get out more; you're still really pale."

"Uh, thanks," Katie replied, glancing down at her arms, tucking her legs underneath her even more. "So, um, how's Dak?"

"He's fine," Lizzie replied with a roll of her eyes. She waved her hand in the air. "He's off singing somewhere, blah, blah, blah." Katie arched an eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, I love my brother and I'm immensely proud of him, but it's nothing new to me anymore." She waved her hand again. "So, you wanna come over?"

"To _your_ house?" Katie asked, her eyes widening. She started twirling her hair around her finger. "Will, um, your brother be there?"

"Probably," Lizzie said with another shrug. "So you wanna? You live at the Palm Woods right? That's not too far from home, I can meet you there and we can walk over. Or we could get Dak to drive."

"I'll just have to ask my mom first," Katie replied, and then made a face. _I bet _she_ doesn't have to ask her parents before she goes and does something_.

"We can do our nails and stuff," Lizzie continued, oblivious to Katie's discomfort. "Oh! Or we could go to the movies. And Pat and No might be able to go too, I'll text them and ask, but that depends on how well they do in the studio for that day." She wrinkled her nose. "They're dad is pretty strict when it comes to their jobs."

"Oh." Katie sat up straighter, twirling her hair faster. "That's cool. I'll ask my mom once she gets home."

"And you haven't really met my brother, so I'll see if I can get him to stick around for a little while so you can meet him," Lizzie added, continuing with her thought. "Oh, but he's also going to be at Rocque Records later today. Maybe you can meet him there."

Katie couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Lizzie was obviously the type to really get things to go the way she wants just by how confident she was. "Alright, I'll just chat you once I ask my mom."

"Coolie, I'll see you later," Lizzie replied with a grin, waving before ending the call.

Katie closed the window and stared at her computer for a moment. "What am I going to wear?" Before she could get up to look for something her mom made her way into the room.

"Hey, Katie," Mrs. Knight said with a bright smile. "I've found something fun for us to do today!"

"Um, mom," Katie said as she slowly closed the lid to her computer. "Lizzie asked me to go to the movies with her today. And…and maybe Patrick and Noah will tag along, too." She bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Can I go?"

Mrs. Knight blinked, her eyebrows knitting together just slightly. "Sunday's family day," she replied.

"But, Kendall and them are at rehearsal, or wardrobe, or studio work or _something_!" Katie replied, throwing her arms into the air.

"That doesn't mean you and I can't do anything fun together," Mrs. Knight replied, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning against the doorframe.

"Key word mom: _fun_," Katie replied with a roll of her eyes. She didn't know why she had gotten annoyed so fast, but she couldn't help the edge to her tone.

"What about the planetarium?" Mrs. Knight suggested. Katie's eyes widened slightly in a 'You-did-_not-_just-say-that' kind of way. She then closed her eyes, dropping her head, pretending to snore. "Alright, fine, go to the movies."

"Thanks, mom," Katie brightened, standing up on her bed, opening her arms to give her mom a hug. Mrs. Knight smiled as she stepped into the room and over to her daughter, giving her a tight hug. Katie brushed her wet hair behind her ears as she let her mom go. She then said quietly, "You can come with us if you want."

"Seeing as I know that you really don't want me to, I'll pass," Mrs. Knight replied with a smile. Katie laughed a little bit. "I'll find something else to do. All alone. On family day."

"Mom, don't do that," Katie said with a heavy sigh. "I hate it when you do that!"

Mrs. Knight gave Katie a gentle smile. "It's alright, sweetie, _really_," she replied. "Do you want me to drive you to the movies? Or are you meeting Lizzie at her house? I can pick up and drop off."

"Oh, mom, not the bus!" Katie groaned. "Why can't you just let me go by myself? It's so embarrassing." Mrs. Knight's eyebrows shot up and Katie let out a heavy sigh. "Um, I'll talk to her about it, and then I'll let you know." She then scratched the back of her neck as she looked over at her mom.

"Mom, Logan asked me if I remembered anything about dad." Mrs. Knight's eyebrows twitched and she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I told him I didn't remember anything. But, I just thought it was weird that he suddenly asked."

"Well…it's been a while since we talked about him and the boys don't really know anything except for that he left us," Mrs. Knight replied.

"Is there something else?" Katie asked. "I mean…he did _just _leave us, right?" She raked her fingers through her hair. "But, why would he just want to leave? I mean…he loved us, right?"

"Of course he did, sweetheart," Mrs. Knight replied as Katie moved to sit down on the end of her bed. "Things just kind of fell apart between us. I fell out of love with him."

"That can happen?" Katie asked, blinking in confusion. Mrs. Knight slowly nodded. "How did you know you were in love with dad?"

"I started paying attention to things," Mrs. Knight replied after a moment of silence. She moved to sit down next to her daughter. "I smiled a lot when I was around him. I blushed a lot, too. It's hard to explain, but I was embarrassed, yet happy whenever he was around." She gave a small laugh. "I thought about him _all _the time and I'm not kidding when I say that. After a while, I noticed that I'd do something or he would do something as an excuse just to get to get a glimpse of each other or to spend time together. My stomach was always in knots."

"Like period cramps?" Katie asked her upper lip curling in disgust.

"It feels just like period cramps, but it's not as uncomfortable. It's a feeling I really liked, and it often came whenever we held hands or whenever we kissed," Mrs. Knight replied. She started laughing when Katie gave a look of disgust, shifting in her seat. "Katie, is there anyone you like?"

"Uh, no, not really," Katie replied with a shrug. "I mean, I barely know anybody here anyway. We've only been here for a few months; I've barely been out to see what this city is all about."

"You'll make friends in no time, sweetie," Mrs. Knight replied. "You and I are in the same predicament. I haven't really made any friends out here, either."

"You have Ronan," Katie pointed out. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been spending a lot of time at the coffee shop." She raised her eyebrows. "I caught on after maybe the fifth time you came home smelling like espresso."

"Ronan's just helping me out," Mrs. Knight replied. "I'm not used to being a manager. I'm not used to being in the music business. I'm used to being a mom and a waitress."

"Weren't you the one that told me, 'if you dream it, it can come true?'" Katie asked, and Mrs. Knight nodded. "Looks like _that's_ not going to happen seeing as you're living _my _dream."

Mrs. Knight let out a small laugh. "Things will get better for us, Katie," Mrs. Knight said quietly. "I've always tried my best to give you and Kendall the best things in life. I'm not looking to replace your father. I haven't for years and even if I was, I'd let you and Kendall know about it, and know about how I was feeling throughout the whole process. Ronan and I are just friends. I barely even know the guy. But, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know what I'd be doing out here. I'd still be looking for a job. And now I have one; one where I can keep a close eye on your brothers, because we both know they need it."

Katie laughed. "Yeah, they definitely do," she replied, with a small smile. "I'm proud of Kendall, I just he hasn't been around lately."

She instantly regretted the words that came out of her mouth. She knew her mom would make it a bigger deal than it actually was. And it wasn't a big deal. Her brother was busy making one of her friend's dream come true. She should be and she was happy for all of them. But, at the same time she couldn't help but think, _If the Jacksons can make time to hang out with friends, why can't he make time to hang out with his sister_?

"So anyway, mom, I've got to let Lizzie know," Katie said, reaching for her computer. "I'll call you and let you know if we have anything else planned if you just let me go by myself. I promise."

"I trust you, sweetheart," Mrs. Knight said quietly, "I just don't' trust the people in this city." Katie huffed, rolling her eyes." Just tell me when you're ready to go."

"Mom?" Katie asked, stopping her mom as she made her way to the door. "Uh…there's _one_ thing you can help me with." She looked back at her computer as the login screen came up, and typed in her password. "I need help with…makeup."

A wide smile split Mrs. Knight's face, but she quickly tried to turn it into a small smile. "I'll be right back."

* * *

"You seem really down," Ronan commented as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. He tapped the table with his finger nails. "What's up?"

Mrs. Knight let out a heavy sigh, pushing her coffee mug away from her. There was a lot that was bothering her. Everything was moving too fast, and with Logan knowing about what her ex-husband was like, she didn't know how Kendall was going to start acting. She wasn't sure if he was ever going to tell his friends what had happened to him and now that Logan knows, she didn't know if he was going to tell James and Carlos. But, James, she could argue, was the closest to Kendall.

Kendall was there for James when he was going through his parents' divorce. She couldn't remember all the times James stayed over at her house to escape his parents' fighting. He was always there for words of encouragement, and he took those words with him everywhere, using it to pump up his friends and make them believe in themselves. Sure, they all got annoyed with him about it, but he knew they respected him for saying things like that and he knew James especially appreciated it.

For a while, James felt like his parents' arguing was all his fault and he would turn to music as his way to cope, which started his dream for wanting to be famous so bad. Sure, James was talented, but Kendall could easily see that his friend just wanted to get far away from all of the drama. And Kacy saw it, too. She could see everything that bothered them, especially Kendall. But, she didn't know how to bring up what had happened between him and his father without him hating her. She always had that fear, but at the same time, she knew that no matter what Kendall wouldn't hate her. Truth was, she hated herself for letting what happened, happen for so long.

"I don't think I can help you," Kacy said with a shake of her head. Ronan licked his lips before reaching for his muffin, taking a bite out of it. "With…with what you asked me to help you with. I don't think I can do it."

"You don't think you can or you just flat out don't want to do it?" Ronan asked as he swallowed. Kacy open and closed her mouth before giving a shrug. "I'm not judging you, I'm just curious."

"A little bit of both, I guess," she replied after a moment of silence.

"Mind if I ask why?" Ronan asked.

Kacy clicked her tongue before she changed the subject. "Look, Ronan, Sunday isn't just a day for relaxation for the boys, but it's the only time they get to hang out with their families." Ronan blinked, but otherwise, stayed silent. "Well, since their families aren't here, it's…with me. Its family day, it's sacred."

"I understand that," Ronan replied with a nod. "I do. I mean, that's why every Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening, my kids have off. I'll talk to Gustavo about it, I promise." He scratched at a spot behind his ear. "So, the boys are in the studio. Where's Katie?"

"Movies with a friend," Kacy replied. Ronan's eyebrows rose.

"So, you spent family day by yourself?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes, and it sucked," Kacy admitted.

"Well, you're not alone, now," Ronan pointed out to her. "But, I get the feeling that, that's not the only thing that's bothering you." Kacy cut her eyes at him and he put his hands up defensively. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I might understand whatever it is that's bothering you, but I get it. We don't really know each other, so why would you tell me? But, I want you to know something."

"What?" Kacy asked.

"This is why I think you'd make a great manager for Big Time Rush," Ronan replied, leaning back in his chair. He tilted his head to the side, as he peered at her. Kacy started playing with her napkin, avoiding his gaze. "You care about their well being; not the politics or the drama, just what makes them happy. And you're obviously doing one heck of a job raising your family."

Kacy tried hard not to snort. If she had done such a good job, why was she raising her kids by herself? She wanted to just tell him everything that happened with her marriage, but at the same time, she was shocked, surprised, and a little bit scared about why she suddenly had the urge to do it. He was right, they barely knew each other. But, despite being in Los Angeles for a few months, he seemed to be the only…normal person there.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "That's why you wanted my help with the Jacksons? To show them that people care? To show them what a real family is like?"

"And to show me," Ronan replied. His lips twitched for a moment as he kept silent when she gave him a bewildered look. "For awhile now, I've been thinking…_if _we can get enough evidence to bring Robert to court…and _if_ he loses the rights to his kids…I was thinking of adopting them."

"What?" Kacy asked, feeling her heart catch in her throat.

"Yeah," he replied weakly. "It's…it's been something I've been thinking about doing for a long time. I've discussed it with my parents. They're…half and half about it and suggested I think long and hard about it. Which I have been doing, but…I guess it's better to start the process. I mean, I have to subject to a criminal background check, attend training to learn about abused and neglected children, agree to home study—"

"Ronan, you don't even know if it's true," Kacy said, looking at him as if he had grown a second head. "I'm sorry, but I think you're getting a little too ahead of yourself."

"I know, I just…I really care about them," Ronan said with a heavy sigh. "And just thinking that their dad is doing that to my kids—"

"You really _do _care about them, don't you?" Kacy asked. Ronan picked a chunk of cranberry out of his muffin.

"Why do you say it like that?" Ronan asked. "Like I can't care about them."

"No, I mean…ever since I've met you, you always called them your 'kids'." Kacy replied with a small smile. "I think it's sweet."

Ronan laughed a little bit, a fond smile coming to his face. He peered off into the distant for a moment before looking back at Kacy. She instantly recognized the look of pride in his eyes. "I call them my kids because in our many years together, they're not just people I work with," Ronan explained. "They became a part of my heart as corny as that sounds."

"Really corny," Kacy agreed, "but that's ok. It's the first time I've heard anything like that come out of your mouth so I'm going to let it slide just this once."

"Well, thank you," Ronan replied."

"Ah, see, good time, huh?" Greg asked, walking over to the two of them, wiping his hands on his apron. Kacy's phone rang, and she grabbed it when she spotted the text message icon. "Don't stop 'cause me. I bring coffee."

"Thank you, but I have to get going," Kacy replied, as she waved her phone. "I have to go pick up Katie from the movies." She reached for her purse and Ronan briefly shook his head, reaching for his wallet in his pocket. "It was nice talking to you again, Mr. McGu—"

"Ronan," Ronan interrupted her, putting up a hand. "Mr. McGuire's my father. Please, everybody calls me Ronan." He gave Greg a two finger salute. "Could I get an order of six muffins for tomorrow? The usual."

"Ah, yes, yes, I put on tab," Greg replied, patting himself on the chest. "You two have nice day."

"Thank you," Kacy replied with a warm smile. She nodded over at Ronan, pushing her chair back. "Excuse me."

"Actually, I'd like for you to come with me for a moment if you could wait a few more minutes," Ronan said as he got to his feet, brushing some muffin crumbs off of his lap. He gave Kacy a questioning look and she gave a brief nod. Ronan gave her a smile and slid his wallet back into his pocket before grabbing his car keys off of the table. He motioned for her to follow him outside and she did so…over to a cherry red Chevrolet Traverse. "I thought this might be easier for you to pick your daughter up in." He wiggled the keys in her face.

"I couldn't take this," Kacy said, putting her hands up as she stared at the car. She _did_ need a car to drive around in. Without getting a paycheck for her work as a manager yet, she had no way to pay for even a rental car for too long.

"Yes, you can," Ronan replied, forcing the keys into her hand. "It's already been paid for and it's under your name. You can thank Gustavo and Kelly, I just drove it over here."

"_Gustavo_?" Kacy repeated, looking over at Ronan in shock. She stared down at the keys in her hand. "Well…I could give you a ride to…wherever you're going."

"You don't have to worry about me, Rhuben is on her way here with my car to pick me up," Ronan replied, giving an easy going smile. "But, I thank you for the offer." He then crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the door. "So Katie's adjusting to life in LA well?"

"Not so much, actually," Kacy replied with a heavy sigh. "She's becoming friends with a girl named Lizzie, and with Patrick, Noah, and Sydney."

"Oh, you mean Lizzie Zevon, Dak's little sister?" Ronan asked and Kacy shrugged. "Has to be her. Lizzie's a good kid, you don't have anything to worry about with her. I've known her for four years."

"I guess I don't get why she freaks out about making friends," Kacy said, raking her fingers through her hair. "And she'd kill me if I told you this. I've never seen her so shy before. She always hangs out with Kendall and his friends and she's open with people all the time—"

"Yeah, but not as a girl," Ronan replied. "I don't mean to step into your territory, but Katie's not comfortable with her femininity. She equates it as a weakness."

"I wonder where she gets that idea," Kacy said with a heavy sigh.

"It's been my experience that girls get it from their mothers," Ronan replied. He then blinked, his eyes widening slightly when he realized what her said. "From their strong, efficient, mid-western mothers who, uh, don't fully embrace how lovely they are as well."

"You barely brought that one back around," Kacy replied and the two of them laughed a little bit.

"Of course, I could be wrong," Ronan added, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "It's been known to happen on occasion. Ask Riley, and she'll give you a list as long as the Great Wall of China."

"So…you think we need to spend some more time together?" Kacy asked.

"I think Katie needs an older sister," Ronan replied, scratching the side of his jaw. "I can tell you two are close, but there are things she's probably not comfortable telling you. Riles and Rhubes, they may seem like the most confident girls in the world, but I've seen them at their worst and I've always been there to talk them off the edge. However, now that they have people around that are more their age that they're working with, I can see them changing. Opening up. I think Katie needs someone like that."

He waved a hand in the air when a car pulled up behind Kacy's. An annoyed look crossed his face when the horn sounded, and continued to be blared. "Hold on a second." Ronan then turned towards the car and shouted, "_Rhuben Jackson, knock it off_." Kacy turned around and laughed a little bit as she watched Rhuben lift her fist from the horn, grinning.

"So, in celebration of this new automobile, why not show your newfound mode of transportation and join me for dinner this week?" Ronan asked, turning back around to face Kacy. "I'm not going to beat around the bush."

"I'm sorry…are you asking me out?" Kacy asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm asking you to _dinner_," Ronan repeated, an amused look crossing his face. "There's a difference." He held up his hands, moving them up and down as if weighing something. "Yes? No?" Kacy open and closed her mouth. "Just think about it and let me know." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "May I have your number?"

"Um, sure," Kacy replied, before rattling off her cell phone number. Her cell phone started to ring. "Oh, excuse me, that's Katie. I really have to get going."

"Of course," Ronan replied. "I know what it's like being the chauffer. I'll talk to you later." He then stopped and doubled back. "Oh, and Rhuben is heading down to Rocque Records to help the boys with their photo shoot today. Dak is recording at Rocque Records today. If Katie's a fan…I could see if she can get him to meet her." Kacy wasn't able to answer as he gave another wave and moved to get into the passenger seat of the car.

"And I'm fine about my femininity, thank you very much," she called after him.

Ronan waved and she gave a half wave back before locking eyes with Rhuben, who was leaning back in the driver's seat, one arm draped over the steering wheel and gave her a smile. Rhuben's eyebrow twitched as she looked back over at her. She looked at Ronan before looking back at Kacy, giving a brief nod before pulling out of the parking spot.

"So, what are you going to do now, Kace?" she asked herself. "Help a man you barely know or sit back and watch some kids get hurt, hoping that this is all just a big misunderstanding?" She let out a heavy sigh. "You always said you'd do anything to protect your kids, but you never once thought about what you'd do if it was someone else."

She looked down at the car keys in her hand and walked around the front to get into the driver's seat. She slammed the door shut behind her and breathed in the new car smell. She stuck the key into the ignition of the car and turned it on. Keeping her foot on the break, she lifted her cell phone and fired off a quick text to her daughter, telling her that she was on her way to pick her up. She was about to set her phone down when it rang again.

Lifting her phone again, a shiver went down her spine as she instantly recognized the phone number of her ex-husband. She made up her mind; she was going to help. No matter what it took, she wasn't going to see anyone else go through what she went through. She rejected the call before jabbing her thumb into the touch dial pad on the screen, lifting the phone to her ear. "Katie? How would you like to meet Dak Zevon today?"

_I'll__ find you. There is no place in this world you can hide from me. I'm watching_

* * *

**A/N: **And again, I still don't have Jo, but she will definitely be in the next one. I promise. I wanted to show one more thing with Katie and Mrs. Knight's and Ronan's story line before continuing on with the story.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	16. Under Pressure: Kendall

**~16~**

"So, I'm the only one that knows?"

Kendall let out a heavy sigh, slowing his pace as James and Carlos made their way into Rocque Records, talking excitedly about the girls who had just been surrounding their limo Kelly picked them up from Rocque Records with.

Today was the day of their first photo shoot to put into teen magazines as a way to push the name of their band and to make their faces recognizable. Dak Zevon was recording in Rocque Records as well, which was the reason why all the girls were standing outside of Rocque Records and practically attacked the limo once it pulled up.

"Yes, Logan you're the only one who knows," Kendall muttered, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "Besides my mom, I mean." He lifted a hand and scratched the side of his jaw. "Katie doesn't know. She was too young to remember."

Logan slowly nodded. "I asked Katie about your dad." Kendall stopped walking and turned to face him, his eyebrows lowering into a look of confusion and annoyance. "She doesn't remember anything about him. Just that he smelled like smoke."

_"Unbelievable," Kevin said with a shake of his head. Something came crashing down on the side of his head. Stars burst behind his eyes, and he fell to the ground. Kevin got out of his seat, pulling something from his pocket. _

_There was a flicking sound.  
_

_He was pulled to his feet by his collar the cloth digging into his throat. His chokes and gasps for air quickly turned into a loud scream of pain. _

Kendall stared at Logan, rubbing the back of his neck, before he blinked rapidly, realizing that his friend was waiting for him to say something. "Honestly, Logan, I don't want to talk about it," he said with a heavy sigh. "And I definitely don't want Katie to know." He ran his hand over his face before letting out a bitter laugh. "I mean, how would she react if her big brother, who's probably the strongest, and bravest person she knows let that happen to him."

"You were a kid, Kendall," Logan said, frowning, "it's not like you _let _it happen. And from what I could tell, your mom had always been trying to get your dad help and was doing everything he could to protect you. It's not your fault." He then arched an eyebrow, giving Kendall a pointed look. "'Strong' and 'brave'? Thinking a little highly of yourself, don't you think?"

Kendall couldn't help but laugh. But, that was short lived. He reached his hand up to touch the back of his neck again. Logan silently gave him a questioning look and Kendall dropped his arm, turning around so his back was facing Logan. Logan pushed up the back of his hair and Kendall heard him intake a sharp breath.

"Jesus," Logan whispered before he ran his finger over the burn. "Kendall, I'm—"

"Its fine," Kendall interrupted Logan, making his way over to the front doors of Rocque Records, pulling it open with a loud _hissing_ sound. "My dad's not around anymore, so what difference does it make?"

"Well…I mean…I'm just worried, I guess," Logan said with a shrug. "I mean, you lashing out at WayneWayne; it makes sense." Kendall made a noise in the back of his throat. "I get that it's hard to talk about—"

"There's nothing to talk about, Logan," Kendall said with a small laugh, turning to give his friend an amused look. "I punched WayneWayne 'cause he was a jerk, which, yes, I'll admit is not like me, but still. My dad's gone. Mom, Katie, and I are happy and I'm helping James chase a once in a lifetime opportunity. I haven't seen him for years, so why talk about him?"

"Because you've been talking about him in your sleep," Logan replied and Kendall stopped walking for a second time. "When you _do _sleep, anyway." He had no idea he had even been doing that. "Just saying…I'm here to talk if you want to. I'm not going to force you. I just don't think you've really gotten over it."

Kendall let out a heavy sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Up until recently I just thought they were all dreams. I hated my dad for leaving before, but now, I'm even more glad he's gone. That's another way he can't hurt me or Katie." He then let out a loud yawn. "I'm over it, Logan."

"Sorry," Logan said. "So, are you going to tell James and Carlos? I mean…I figured you would've told James. I mean, he told you all about his parents' divorce."

In truth, Kendall didn't plan on telling any of them. He prided himself on being the team captain, the one they could always go to if they were having problems, the one to give them all confidence and to lead them into anything and everything on and off the ice. He was kind of getting embarrassed about it. It wasn't every day you heard about someone being hit by their parent, but when it came to him? He just couldn't understand why it happened to him. But, he couldn't deny that things had gotten better for him since his dad left. But, the most embarrassing part about it, was going all those years with wanting his dad to come home.

"I'll tell them," Kendall replied with a nod. "I don't know when, but I'll tell them." He let out a breath of air. "I'm glad that it's you that knows, though. Knowing Carlos he'd probably hunt my dad down." Logan laughed a little bit, nodding in agreement. "And I don't know what James would do, and that scares me." James could be as unpredictable as Carlos, especially if you got him mad enough. He was fiercely loyal to anyone he considered a friend.

"_Hey, check this out!_"

Kendall and Logan exchanged glances at Carlos's excited shout, and the two of them made their way over to Carlos and James who were huddled around a magazine. Carlos jabbed at a spot in the magazine. "They think Rhuben is going out with Dak Zevon." He made a noise with his tongue. "That's not a bad picture of her, actually."

"Let me see that," Logan said, pulling the magazine out of Carlos's hands. Carlos frowned and let out a quiet, "ow," when he got a paper cut. Logan's eyes shifted back and forth, his lips moving as he silently read the magazine, before arching his eyebrow. "She wouldn't date a guy like him." Logan shook his head, slapping the magazine into Kendall's chest. "There's no way. He's not her type."

"And how would you know that?" James asked with a loud laugh. "Dak Zevon is just about as hot as me and even _she_ digs me."

"No she doesn't," Kendall, Logan, and Carlos replied in unison, shaking their heads, as they looked at the magazine. James pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Trust me, he's not her type," Logan replied. "Besides, she'd tell me if she was dating someone."

Kendall snorted. "Logan, you haven't seen the girl for years. How would you know-?" He looked up and immediately stopped talking when he saw—"Mom and Katie." Kendall smiled and moved forward to give his mom a kiss on the cheek. Kendall often wondered how just the sigh of his mom could always calm him down, but with recent events, he appreciated it even more. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"What?" Katie asked, widening her eyes, tilting her head to the side. "I can't come down to see my big brother?" She gave a bright smile, putting her hands over her heart. "Who I love?"

"Awwww" Kendall said with a smile, putting his hand over his heart as well.

"Here to see Dak Zevon?" Kelly asked in a monotone and Katie blushed.

"I just want him to autographs his picture for my wall," she replied, shuffling her feet, before brushing her hair out of her face, crossing her arms over her chest, looking tough.

"Really?" James asked with a small laugh. He gave her a half amused, half shocked look. "I didn't think you were into that stuff."

"Uh, I'm a teen girl," Katie replied before opening the magazine in her hand to show them the same picture that Kelly had shown them before. "He's a cute pop star. I'm not made out of stone y'know." She then sighed and put a hand on her hip. "Anyway, I thought the Patrick, Noah, and Sydney would be here with you guys, but they all have studio work today."

"Let me take a look that!" Logan said with a smile before snatching the magazine out of Katie's hands. He held the posted up to his face, making it look like he had Dak's head. He then said in a high pitched voice, "Oh look, I'm Dak Zevon and I love _you_ Katie Knight." Katie didn't look at all amused as another round of high pitched screams appeared. Kendall flinched at the sudden noise.

Mrs. Knight quickly pulled Katie out of the way of a hoard of girls that ran through the halls and tackled Logan to the ground. Kendall, James, Carlos, and Kelly stared, open mouthed, at their fallen friend.

"It's not him!" the same brunette from before shouted as she got up off of Logan. She gasped as her cell phone suddenly vibrated. She pressed a few buttons on the phone and gasped. "He's been spotted in the East side of the building." She the screamed and ran off, the other girls following her.

"You're welcome," a familiar voice commented and Rhuben walked over to them, sliding her phone into her pocket. "You shouldn't believe everything you read in a magazine, you know." She grabbed Logan's hand and helped him to his feet. "Are you ok?"

"Oh yeah, sure," Logan replied, brushing himself off. He then stepped forward and gave Rhuben a hug in greeting. Kendall frowned seeing the uncomfortable look quickly passing over Rhuben's face before she gave a half-hearted hug back, oddly patting his back. Logan didn't seem to noticed as he stepped back. "Thanks for that. How are you doing today?"

"Fine," she replied simply, looking around at each of them before glancing sideways at Mrs. Knight and Katie, giving a short nod in greeting. Mrs. Knight gave a brief smile in reply. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you had the day off."

"We're having our first Pop Tiger photo shoot," James replied with a smile. "Pretty cool, huh? Soon, we'll be all over the walls of millions of girls." He then sidled closer to her, looping an arm around her shoulders, grinning at her. "Yours as well, right—uh—" Rhuben silently raised her eyebrows, waiting to see if he was going to get her name right. "Um…you know you're looking really beautiful today."

A flicker of a smile quickly passed over face before it was replaced by an apathetic look. "Thanks for that," Rhuben replied, brushing his arm off of her. She reached her arms up to adjust her long hair around her shoulders, hiding the blush that started to rise up on her cheeks.

"I thought you guys were in the studio today," Katie commented, looking around. Kendall caught her eye and she cleared her throat, sliding a hand into her jeans pocket, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, popping her hip.

Kendall quietly looked her over, _really _looked at her. Katie had to have grown up even more than any other kid the year their parents got a divorce. He had to grow up too. He had to step in and be the man of the house, getting a job to help his mom pay the bills, and looking after his sister to make sure that she didn't get in trouble.

He would admit that ever since his dad left the two of them have gotten closer. Kendall could remember times living with both his parents, but Katie was so young when they got divorced, he really didn't know if she remembered their dad. Around the time she realized she was just living with a single mom, did she start to be independent so she wouldn't have to trouble their mom with her problems.

He noticed that she was wearing make-up, like she had been doing a lot lately, but not as much as before. She looked good; he always thought that, but at the same time, he didn't think he ever truly paid attention to how much she was growing up over the years. But, he was proud of her.

Rhuben glanced over at her as if silently. "I got off of studio work today because I worked overtime last week." She turned her head, scratching the back of her neck, muttering, "way, _way _overtime."

"So then, what are you doing here?" Carlos asked.

"Photo shoot," Rhuben replied after a moment of silence. "We're helping you guys out, right? Y'know…cause I love cameras."

"Oh, you're still into photography?" Logan asked with a warm smile and Rhuben shrugged. "I remember you always used to have a disposable camera on you. You used to take pictures of everything. And we figured out how to keep using the flash feature when the film ran out." He laughed a little bit. "And your dad got really mad and—"

"Took away my camera, yeah," Rhuben interrupted him, rocking back and forth on her heels. "That sucked."

Kendall looked back and forth between the two friends. There was something off about the two of them. Logan had gone on and on about how they were such good friends when they were kids, and he knew that meeting up with old friends could be awkward from time to time, but they had been working with the Jacksons for a few months now. Shouldn't things be…not as weird between them?

"So, where's Dak recording?" Mrs. Knight asked, cutting through the tension, turning to look at Kelly, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders, playing with her hair. "Katie would just love to meet him."

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that," Kelly replied, glancing at her cell phone. "I'm not allowed to say."

"Oh, look into those eyes and say that," Mrs. Knight replied, putting her hands on Katie's shoulders. Kelly sighed and pursed her lips before facing Katie. Katie widened her brown eyes and stuck out her bottom lip, giving a puppy dog pout.

Kendall couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself. Katie had used the same look against him a lot when she was younger. While he had gotten better at resisting the look, there were some cases where he just couldn't resist it. Katie was good at getting what she wanted when she wanted. And judging by the look on Kelly's face, it wasn't any different here.

"Studio B, down the hall and to the right! Just stop with the eyes!" Kelly cried, cracking.

"Great! See ya!" Katie said with a wide grin before hurrying off with her mom in tow. Rhuben crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at Kelly.

"You try saying 'no' to a face like that!" she cried.

"If you can say 'No' to Sydney, you can say 'No' to Katie," Rhuben replied evenly, rubbing her temples before loud, dance music started playing. "That must be for you." She briefly closed her eyes as Big Time Rush, rushed past her. She pursed her lips at Kelly. "Way to go."

"Sorry!" Kelly replied, giving a sheepish grin.

Rhuben frowned before following Kelly, and the music into the dance studio. There were large lights, a white backdrop, a smoke, machine, and a man and a woman standing in there. "This should be interesting."

"Are you guys ready to rock my camera?" the man asked, taking the camera from the woman, making her way over to them.

"WHAT?" the boys shouted back in unison.

"I said, are you ready to rock my—hold on a minute!" the man pulled a remote out of his pants pocket and jabbed his thumb into a button, turning the music off. "That's better! So, how're you guys doing?"

"Good," Kendall slowly replied as Gustavo walked over to the moving man, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Boys, this is Marcos DelPozi, the _best_ teen idol photographer on the planet," Gustavo introduced the man. "You!" He pointed at Rhuben who flinched at the sudden shout. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the studio today."

"Ronan sent her over to help the boys figure out what does and doesn't look good on camera, remember?" Kelley asked, putting her hand on her hip. "Remember, she's an aspiring photographer as well. _And_ she's got a lot of photo shoots under her belt."

"Uh, Ronan never said that," Gustavo shook his head.

"Yeah, he did, I must've forgotten to tell you," Kelly replied waving her hand in the air. "We cleared this a while ago. She's supposed to be here." She blinked as Marcos started snapping picture after picture with the two cameras he held in his hands.

"I think I'm blind!" James shouted over the loud music as he covered his face with his hands.

"Ok, here's what I think," Marcos said as he threw the cameras over his shoulder. "Shirts open, hair blowing with…this stuffy puppy." James let out one of his mini screams as Kendall, Carlos, and Logan started protesting. "But, Marcos invented the Stuffy Puppy shot."

"Have _you_ ever done the Stuffy Puppy shot?" Logan asked Rhuben.

"Yeah, once," she replied. "It was a great picture, but it was the worst thing I've probably ever had to do in a photo shoot."

"Hard to pose with?" Kendall asked, nodding in sympathy.

"No," Rhuben replied, wrinkling her nose. "It triggered my asthma. Bad asthma attack that day."

"Yeah, NO!" Gustavo shouted as he took the Stuffy Puppy from Marcos's arms and threw it over his shoulder. "What I want is a simple shot of the four best friends just chilling and being themselves."

"I totally agree," Kendall replied as he snapped his fingers.

"I totally don't care," Gustavo replied, snapping as well. "Now, _get on the backdrop and look handsome_!" He adjusted his clothes. "Now, I've got a conference call about you dogs with Griffin and Robert today. Kelly and I will come back and check on you, soon. Remember; _look handsome._"

"That's not so hard," James said as he threw Rhuben a wink as Kelly and Gustavo made their way out of the room.

"Keep dreaming, tiger," Rhuben commented, scratching her arm.

"What happened to you?" James asked, doing a double take when he saw the bruise on her shoulder. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan winced when they saw the bruise on her face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Rhuben dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I just fell."

"You sure?" Logan asked.

"You're all hockey players right?" Rhuben snapped her eyes flashing. "it's not like _you _haven't gotten hurt like this in a game before. I just fell. Don't worry."

"Ah, Miss Jackson, why don't you jump in front of the camera and show them how it's done?" Marcos asked, placing his hand on the small of her back, pushing her forward.

"No, no, I'm good," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head, adjusting her shirt sleeves. "I'll be able to tell them what's working and what's not from back here." She then put a hand on her hip. "Besides, I don't want Gustavo yelling at me for wasting film or something."

"For someone in the music business, you'd think she'd love being in the spotlight," James muttered, flipping his lucky comb into the air before running it through his hair.

"Yeah," Kendall replied shortly, watching as she moved to stand in front of the camera monitors. "You'd think."

He was amazed at how much went into a photo shoot. He always thought it was something easy to do and he always thought it'd be fun to do one, not that he'd ever really admit it. But, he could tell James was soaking up every minute that he was there, smiling widely, as if someone was offering him his lifelong dream on a platter; which was happening to him in a way.

But, watching, and participating, Kendall realized how hard it also was; doing what the photographer says but listening to the creative director at the same time. They had to work with Marcos, and Rhuben, and the guy who was doing their lighting, which was really hot, and work with the camera technician to minimize the amount of time it took to adjust the camera for standing and kneeling shots, and to work with wardrobe; which consisted of contact Riley over the phone, sending texts back and forth to pick out outfits for them all, and more. d their dad about what poses to do, which worked, and which didn't work.

He was just starting his solo shots, dancing along to some of their recorded tracks that played in the background when Rhuben asked to speak with him. He was confused, and a little worried that he wasn't doing things the way they wanted him to. Breathing heavily, and fanning himself with his gray fedora, he followed her out into the hall of Rocque Records, sitting down in front of him, peering at him.

"Talk to me," she said after a moment of silence looking at him.

As Kendall breathed, he wondered what it was that she was talking about, but then it just suddenly started coming out of his mouth. "It's my big chance and now that I'm here, I'm in way over my head," he said, tilting his head back, letting out a heavy sigh.

"You've got this in the bag," Rhuben contradicted him with a shake of her head.

Kendall briefly closed his eyes. He held his breath of a moment, letting out it out in one long _woosh_. "Every time I approach a mic, I close my eyes and I see the same thing," he said quietly. "I see myself failing. Walking off a stage. Breaking an ankle. _Something_ that makes me lose it all." He gripped his fedora tightly in his hands before lazily placing it on his head. "Gustavo's riding us day after day, and I get why. I do. I just want to prove him wrong. I _can _do this. But, it's hard."

"If you feel like you have to prove them wrong, that means you currently think they're right," Rhuben said, pulling her knees up to her chest, resting her arms on her knees. Her next question threw him off; startled him. "You don't think you can do it, do you?"

Kendall didn't answer. He didn't know what he thought about himself, he just knew how important this all was for James and he knew how much pressure he was under. It didn't seem like it was going away. As days went on, it just kept building and building with the only sense of relief being whenever he got some praise from the Jacksons. It was a nice change of pace from Gustavo's constant yelling. With Dak just getting back into town, they hadn't started working with him yet, but knowing how big of a star he was, that freaked him out even more.

"Ok, let's try this again, shall we?" Rhuben said when he didn't answer her question. "Closer your eyes." Kendall looked at her as if she was crazy before slowly doing as he was told. "Where are you?"

"On stage," he replied, his voice low.

"You're on stage," Rhuben repeated. "Imagine you're a cobra. You strike the steps like a cobra; _bam_! You're confident. Self-assured. You attack every dance move with precision and perfect timing. Now you're flying, sailing through everything. No tension, no gravity, like a hawk. Light. Strong. Can you see it?" Kendall didn't answer. "Do you want to know what I see? I see someone who's scared of who they are and what they might become in this world. What do you see?"

Kendall opened his mouth to answer, and he found that his voice was gone. He cleared his throat, licking his lips and tried again. "I'm going through the dance moves so fast," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Everything is spinning. land a back flip."

"What's it feel like?"

"Infinite." Kendall could feel a smile coming to his face. The crowed is screaming. They're enjoying themselves. And—"

"And you finish the number perfectly, a smile on your face. Because you did it. The audience applauding, screaming, for you because you did it. And you deserve it. You deserve to be here. You nailed it."

"I nailed it," Kendall said, opening his eyes.

"Nailed it; bang. I've seen you do it before," Rhuben replied, leveling him with a stare, a look filled with compassion. He shifted awkwardly in his seat. It was something he got a lot when news spread that his father just up and left him; it was how Logan looked before he entered Rocque Records. "I know you can do it. Well, not the flip cause you can't do that. Now, what do you see?"

"I see someone that I will be forever grateful for going this far to help me," Kendall replied.

"What can I say?" Rhuben asked with a shrug, a smirk coming to her face. Her words were suddenly dripping with sarcasm. "I'm a groupie." She pursed her lips for a moment. "We feel a lot of pressure about looking silly or appearing weak, whatever that means, or being a failure. You have to keep in your head: what's the worst that can happen? You don't make it big? So what? You tried it, you know what it's like, you got a taste of it. It's no big, Kendall."

Kendall blinked in surprise at the sudden, and constant, changes in her demeanor. "Why'd you bring me out here?"

"Well, I thought you would love to spend some time with a pretty girl," Rhuben replied with a smirk, "one that knows what you're going through; can see all the frustrations and insecurities on your face, and stopped you before you became a ticking time bomb."

"Oh," Kendall replied. He wasn't aware that he was really easy to read. He always thought of himself as a private person, holding his feelings, paying more attention to how his friends were feeling and then doing things for himself. "Thanks."

"So you think I'm pretty?" Rhuben asked tilting her head to the side.

"I never said that," Kendall said, shaking his head back and forth.

"But you never denied it either," Rhuben pointed out. Kendall chuckled slightly and shrugged.

Kendall pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. It was his turn to smirk. "I think _Riley's _pretty," he replied.

"Ouch," Rhuben said, arching an eyebrow, but shrugged, allowing the comment to roll of her. "You don't have to do everything for your mum you know. Katie either. They look happy out here." She gave a hint of a smile. "It's a good thing to have them around, and James, Carlos, and Logan, to have people to keep your grounded, to understand what it is that you're going through and why you act the way you do." She let out a heavy sigh. "'Cause out here, for the most part, the only people that you can trust are your family."

"What about your friends?" Kendall asked.

"Well, from what I gather, James, Carlos, and Logan are your brothers," Rhuben replied, stretching her legs out in front of her. She started to tap a random beat on the ends of his shoes. Kendall gave a smile. He did consider them to be his brothers; his crazy brothers anyway. But, they were a family while they were out in Los Angeles, and he wouldn't want it anyway.

"The thing is, as sad as it is, your friends, given the opportunity, could throw you under the bus if it means that you can get ahead. LA changes people; so it's good that your friends came with you. You always have to be careful of the people you become friends with in LA. For all you know, they could be your 'friend' until they get what they want from you.'" She then nodded towards the room. "We should get going; they can only wait so long for you. Time is money."

"Hey," Kendall said as he got to his feet, brushing off the seat of his pants. "Want to hang out at the crib? Stay for dinner? Play some video games?" Rhuben silently looked at him. "Friends hang out, right?" A blank looked crossed her face, as if she didn't believe the word that came out of his mouth. "How about tonight? All of you?"

"Believe it or not, we have our _own_ music to work on," she said and Kendall looked taken aback for a moment. She pressed her lips together for a moment. "Sure. I guess. Whatever."

Kendall smiled.

* * *

"What the hell happened to you guys?"

Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan looked up at Camille and Jo as they made their way over to the group of boys. Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney followed shortly behind her, licking ice cream cones. The four boys groaned as they turned their heads and held their arms up, trying to wave.

"You look like you've gotten run over by a truck!" Jo gasped, a hand covering her mouth.

"Whatever happened, I wish I was there to see it," Riley commented, shaking her head back and forth. "What'd you do? Get into an argument with the Mighty Ducks off the ice?" Patrick snorted into his ice cream, bumping her hip with his own.

"I wish that was the case," James groaned, grimacing. "It would be better than the truth."

"I can tell you what happened," Rhuben said with a shake of her head, reaching into her pocket to retrieve her cell phone. She dragged her thumb across the screen for a moment before holding it out, showing them all a picture of Big Time Rush at their photo shoot. "They had their first shoot today. It all went down there."

"That's a nice picture of you," Jo said, leaning forward, to get a better look.

"Thank you," the four boys chorused, trying to sit straighter in their chairs, but they winced and groaned, sliding back down. Jo laughed quietly, putting a hand over her mouth.

"The picture is going in Pop Tiger magazine," James groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked over at Jo and gave her a bright smile. "I can't help but realize that we haven't been that welcoming to you, Jo. I'd get up to give you a welcoming hug, but—"

"Ah, sorry, but I have a boyfriend back home," Jo interrupted him, giving him a small smile. "But, it _is _nice to meet you. I'm Jo…as, I guess you know. And you're…James, Carlos , Logan, and Kendall." She pointed at each boy in turn. "Right? Camille's told me all about you guys." She then stepped forward to give them a hug, but stopped, cringing. "Right. You're in pain."

"A hug would make it go away," Carlos replied, lifting his arms limply into the air. "Just like the Pussycat Dolls."

"I don't understand how all of this could happen just by you guys going to take _one _picture," Camille said with a shake of her head. She gave James a sympathetic look, patting his leg. "James, your hair is messed up. You _never_ let a single hair go out of place!"

"Will ice cream make it better?" Sydney asked, holding his cone out to Kendall. Sydney gasped and made a sad, whining sound when the scoop fell off of his cone and hit the ground. "Oh no." Noah nudged his brother's shoulder and silently offered him his ice cream cone. Sydney smiled and took the ice cream, handing Noah is empty cone. Noah took a large bite out of it.

"I always thought my first photo shoot would be fun," James groaned, rubbing at his neck. "But, this was pure torture!"

"Guys, get ready for a twisted tale of adventure, danger, and nail biting suspense," Kendall replied as he sat up in his chair, cradling his injured arm."So, we were enjoying a calm afternoon in the crib," Kendall started.

"You and calm?" Camille asked, snorting. "Those words don't go in the same sentence."

"Alright, alright, we were playing hockey," Kendall said with a heavy sigh.

"Big surprise there," Riley muttered, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The long and short of it is, they got attacked by crazed Zevon fans," Rhuben replied with a shake of her head, rolling her eyes. She peered at him. "So, I guess the _friendly _crib hangout is out of the question then. Until you heal."

"Well, how about a girl's night, then," Camille suggested, turning towards Riley and Rhuben. "I haven't had a chance to show Jo around and you two know the city as well as I do. It'll be fun."

"Hi, I'm Jo," Jo said, offering her hand to the two girls.

"We know," they said in unison, "you just said your name." Jo gave a slight nod, but the two girls shook her hand. Jo cleared her throat, moving her hands into her jeans pockets. "I'm Riley. That's Rhuben."

"Hi," Jo replied. "I'd appreciate it if you could show me around. Camille and I have been talking about a whole bunch of places around here, but since I' got here, I haven't had the time to check any of 'em out." Her voice trailed off at the end when she noticed the two girls were looking at her weirdly.

Riley crossed her arms over her chest, before pointing a finger at her. "You're from North Carloina," she said and Jo slowly nodded. "You sent us a video of you covering one of our songs, yeah?"

"Yeah," Jo replied with a grin. "Wow. I can't believe you remember that."

"It was really good," Patrick said, a hand moving to his hair as Jo gave him a smile. "I'm Patrick." He motioned towards his brothers. "That's Noah and Sydney."

"They're helping us break into the music industry," Logan offered, slowly sitting up, his face turning red as he tried not to breathe as he did so. "Dak Zevon, too."

"Oh my god, I _love _Dak Zevon," Jo gasped, bouncing on her toes, a wide smile coming to her face. "You guys are _so _lucky."

"I guess," Rhuben said with a shrug. Jo, flushed, looking embarrassed as she stopped bouncing.

"You're pretty," Sydney said with a smile, looking up at her.

"Oh, thanks," Jo said, smiling back at him, twisting some of her hand around her finger. "So…um, are we going to go or…or what?"

"You go on, we'll hang out with Katie or something," Patrick said to Riley, although his eyes were still on Jo. "Maybe help these guys up to their apartments or something. We'll get Ronan to give us a ride back if you're going to be out late."

"You sure?" Riley asked and Noah slowly blinked, nodding. "Alright." She looked back over at Jo and Camille. "I guess we're going or whatever."

The four girls started to make their way out of the pool deck. Riley glanced back over her shoulder to wave at her brothers, who gave half-hearted waves back, save for Sydney who's hand was blurring he was waving so fast. Jo and Camille stopped by their abandoned pool chairs to grab their bags, checking to see if their apartment keys and wallets were inside before they headed towards the Palm Woods parking lots.

"So, I guess you're a fan, then?" Rhuben asked Jo, briefly glancing at her over her shoulder. Jo nodded. "It's kind of weird; having a fan from North Carolina." She kicked at a rock. "We don't hear that that often."

"Oh, yeah, I'm here because I wanted to be a singer, too," Jo replied, "or an actress. Camille's really been helping me out with auditions and stuff." She exchanged a look with Camille when she didn't get an answer. "Is it really that weird that…I'm a fan from the East Coast?"

"Sort of," Riley replied with a one-shouldered shrug. "We don't get a lot of time to _meet _our fans, so it's weird to hear how far we've touched people sometimes." She raked her fingers through her long hair. "We're pretty dull people. Nothing special."

"Well, that can't be true, can it?" Camille asked with a smile, "I mean, you get to travel _everywhere_ and perform sold out shows—"

"And we go to school, do homework, and do chores," Rhuben finished for her, swinging her car keys around her finger. She still hadn't turned to look at them. "Although, I guess there are some perks. Extra money to get new shoes anyway."

"And there's a sale today," Jo said with a grin, clasping her hands together as Camille looped her arm through hers. "Let's get going." Rhuben turned her head to look at her, and she suddenly felt foolish. Here they were, being nice to her, going to show her around the city, and she was telling them where to go.

"Topshop it is, then," she commented, turning her attention towards Riley. "Besides, they've got those studded boots I've been wanting."

"Sounds cool," Riley replied, punching her sister on the elbow.

"They have a Topshop out here?" Jo asked, her eyes widening. "That's my favorite store back home." She exchanged glances with Camille, letting out a breath of air. "Thanks for doing this guys. I appreciate."

"You're welcome," the two girls replied in unison, throwing small smiles at her. Jo smiled back.

* * *

**A/N: **I wanted to show Katie and Dak meeting, but ultimately didn't think it was all that important at the same time. _Just Listen_ will be updated again on Wednesday.

You can see what fics/ideas we have coming up in our "upcoming fics" section on our tumblr (link in profile). Also, if you look on our profile you'll see that we have posted a "Request Policy" for those that want to request a fic (link in profile).

Hope you guys liked this chapter. The next chapter is loosely based off of _Big Time Break_.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	17. Under Pressure: James

**~17~**

"Did I ever tell you guys the story about when my hairdryer blew up and it-"

"Yes," Carlos groaned.

"We heard it," Kendall added.

"About thirty times!" Logan concluded

James frowned, placing his hat back onto this head. He, Carlos, Logan, and Kendall were lounging around the Palm Woods pool on pool chairs, relaxing, and soaking up the sun's rays before they had to head over to Rocque Records to start their day of recording. They didn't have much to do that morning and they knew that they had plenty of time to relax before Kelly picked them up.

They were still sore from their attack at the Palm Woods the other day, and still had some bumps and bruises from the overall encounter, and their egos were a little deflated when they found out that their picture would be on the back of a Dak Zevon poster, but all in all, they were still enjoying their time in Los Angeles.

It was silent for a moment before Logan then sat up a second later, holding out his smoothie cup. "Do you know what I think ruins a smoothie?"

"Yes," James and Carlos sighed heavily.

"Raspberry seeds," Kendall added.

"Hey, do you guys remember that time-"Carlos was quickly cut off.

"Robots from space," Kendall, Logan, and James droned. Kendall sighed and sat up, pulling his hat away from his face and letting it fall into his lap. "That's it; we're spending _way _too much time with each other."

"I'm starting to hate all of you," James agreed, with an odd laugh.

"Same here," Logan replied with a tight smile, shooting James a glare as he said so.

"Split up!" Carlos shouted. He threw his hat to the ground and leapt off of his chair. He and the others raced out of the pool area and ran as fast as they could to get away from the Palm Woods pool. They all skidded to a stop, almost crashing into each other, when they arrived at their apartment, 2J.

"Split up again!" James declared and they went running again, but this time they all ended up at Rocque Records. They started to yell at each other, until the door to Gustavo Rocque's office opened and Gustavo stepped out, dressed in tennis gear.

"Dogs," he got their attention. "I'm taking the rest of the day off," he picked up his tennis racket and pointed it at each boy. "I'm starting to hate all of you."

"Yeah, we hate you too."

"Mhm."

"Lots of hate going around."

The four boys replied, acknowledging that Gustavo's hatred wasn't just on his side of the fence. Gustavo's eyebrows rose as he looked at the four teenage boys before him. "Really?" He nodded once. "Then, split up!" He shouted and ran out of Rocque Records.

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James ran out of Rocque Records as well, but as they did the first time they split up, and then ended up at their apartment. Logan let out a frustrated groan, slapping his hands against his thigh.

"What part of 'split up' aren't we getting?" Logan demanded, planting his hands on his hops.

"Who cares?" Carlos rolled his eyes, but then they lit up as a large smile stretched across his face. "We have the day off!"

"I call pool," Kendall declared, before any of the other boys could say anything else. He hurried into his room and grabbed a towel and sunglasses. "_Alone_." He added when he noticed the stunned expressions on his friend's faces. "Don't follow me."

"Hmm, I wonder who's down at the pool?" James asked, pretending to think. He talked louder and louder with each step Kendall took towards the apartment door, practically yelling at him as he left. "Maybe it's the new blonde haired girl, who I said you _couldn't talk to until I got my chance_." The door slammed shut behind Kendall.

"If you don't want Kendall to talk to Jo, why don't _you _go talk to her?" Logan asked. Carlos pointed at Logan, nodding, showing that he agreed with his friend.

"I know neither of you have actually had a girlfriend, let alone ask a girl out, so you're not going to understand this," James said, putting his hands on Logan and Carlos's shoulders. Carlos arched an eyebrow, turning to face James. "But, these things take time. You have to plan out _exactly _how you're what you're going to say and in what order, to make sure that you get the results that you want."

"And now's not the time?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope," James said simply, "Because, _I_'m going to start my acting career." He grinned and pointed to his face. "This face deserves to be on the big screen."He turned to leave the apartment, then stopped, turning back to face Logan and Carlos. "Kendall's been acting kind of weird lately. I just wondered if you guys knew what was up."

"You heard him, he was getting tired of being around us all the time," Carlos said with a shrug. "And I'm getting tired of seeing your faces as well."

"Hey, we're all under some pressure and no one said this was going to be easy," Logan pointed out. He gave a shrug. "I think it would be better if we all just had some time away from each other. Think things out a little."

"Whatever," James said with a shake of his head. "I'll see you guys again on the big screen." James grinned and made his way out of his apartment, and down into the Palm Woods pool. He smiled when he spotted Jo talking on a phone. His smile disappeared a little bit when he saw Kendall hovering by her, but his smile got wider when Riley (or was it Rhuben) made her way into the pool area. He rubbed his hands together, smoothed his hair back with his hands and made his way outside.

"Hey, Jo," James heard Riley greet the blonde haired girl as she made her way over to them. Kendall gave Riley a small wave and she briefly looked over at him. "Kendall."

"Hi," Jo replied. "I want to thank you again for showing me around the other day." She then held out her hands. "And for picking out that nail polish. You were right, it does suit me." Riley merely glanced at the nails, giving a short nod.

"So, um, what are you doing here?" Kendall asked, scratching the back of his neck. James rolled his eyes as he got closer to them.

"Logan texted me, saying I had the day off," Riley replied, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check her messages. "Today was my day to hang out with Sydney, but Rhuben said she'd spend the day with him."

"That's nice of you guys," Jo stated, with a small smile. Riley's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why'd you have to go say it like that?" she all but demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, um," Jo blushed a bright red, and James decided to cut in.

"Did someone say they were looking for me?" he asked, sauntering over to them. His smile widened when Kendall shot him an annoyed look.

"Hey, James," she greeted him with a smile and a small wave. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"So _anyway_," Kendall said loudly, turning back to Jo, giving her a warm smile. "So we have the day off, as you know. I just thought…maybe…we could hang out?" James reached over and pinched the back of Kendall's elbow. Kendall shook his arm away.

"You know I have a boyfriend," Jo reminded him, raising her eyebrows.

"And that's awesome that you have a boyfriend," Kendall added, nodding his head like a bobble-head. Riley snorted, rolling her eyes. James couldn't help but do the same thing. "Really, it is. But also being _just friends_ with girls." He then looked over at Riley, who narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is cool, too."

James caught Riley's eyes and gave her a smile and a wink, and she turned her head, scratching at a spot behind her ear.

"Well," Jo slapped the side of her bag. "I was going to head to the gym and could use a training partner. Do you want to come?"

"Cool," Kendall agreed. "So what are we doing? Weights? Cardio?"

"In which case you should ask _me _to help you out," James said, flexing his muscles. "Kendall's ok at sports, but, _clearly, _I'm a stand out."

"James, I need you today," Riley said and James shot her an amused look. "Get your mind out of the gutter, boofhead."

James merely chuckled in amusement, and because he was surprised at her accent suddenly slipping into her voice. "Careful, Beautiful, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you actually didn't like me." Riley had a startled look on her face and then it turned to one of confusion. "Remember? At the photo shoot-"

"You're talking to Riley, not Rhuben," Jo interrupted James with a shake of her head. Kendall and James looked back and forth between the two girls. Riley looked sideways at Jo, a curious look on her face. "Rhu wears purple."

"Well, that explains the somewhat look of horror on her face when you called her beautiful," Kendall said, clapping James on the shoulder. "You can't have every girl, can ya, James."

"Who says I've actually been trying?" James replied, winking at Jo. "So you sing, right?"

"Boyfriend," she said in a sing-song voice and James nodded. "But, yes, I do sing. And play the guitar a little bit, but I have trouble remembering chords and stuff—"

"I could help you," Kendall quickly offered. Riley looked at her watch and started to tap her foot impatiently. James crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes in Kendall's direction. "I play a little bit of guitar myself; I could teach you a few tricks to help you remember chord changes and stuff. What do you say? We could meet later. Anytime you're free."

Jo opened her mouth and Kendall quickly rushed in. "I know you have a boyfriend, but this is just a friend helping out another friend," he said, giving her a patient smile. "It won't be awkward or anything. I'm just a friend wanting to know a little more about a new friend. That's all."

"Alright, I'll just look over my schedule and figure out what's the best time," Jo replied with a smile. "I've heard you guys singing a few times. You have a nice voice."

"Thanks," Kendall replied with a smile. "So do you."

"Um, I haven't sang anything yet," Jo said, giving Kendall and odd look as she brushed her hair over her shoulder.

"I know," he replied simply and Riley snorted a second time.

"Ok," Jo said, raising her eyebrows, pressing her lips together. "So, um, yeah, I really need to get this work out in. So, I'm going to change and I'll meet you in the gym."

"Sounds good," Kendall replied, giving her a small wave as she headed into the Palm Woods. He then turned back towards James and raised his eyebrows in a "take that" kind of way. But, the smile never left James's face.

"Ok, _you_," Riley said, putting her hands in the air before pointing towards James, "go wait in the Palm Woods lobby, I have a rack of clothes in the boot of my car for you that I want you try on." She then pulled a pen out of her pocket and used her teeth to uncap her pen before grabbing his hand, writing on it.

"Is this your cell phone number?" James asked.

"Yes," Riley replied shortly before pointing the tip of her pen at his nose. "Go sit in the Palm Woods while I get the clothes." She then pointed her pen in Kendall's face and he put his hands up defensively. "You. Go away."

"I'm leaving, but I wanted to thank you guys again for helping us out," Kendall said, lowering his arms slightly. "You're really going out of your way for helping us and you never had to do it." He then tilted his head to the side, his lips curling into a small smirk. "So, unfortunately for you, you'll never really get rid of me."

"I gathered that." Riley rolled her eyes and shook her head. She then pursed her lips for a moment, looking over at him. "By the way, when a girl has a boyfriend, she doesn't normally go out of her way to _remind_ _everybody_ that she, in fact has a boyfriend." She clicked the pen cap back onto the pen as if to prove her point before making her way out of the pool area.

"What was _that _about?" James asked, looking over at Kendall. Kendall shrugged, but James noticed that he had a frown on his face, and his eyes were narrowed slightly as if he was deep in thought about something. He had seen it often enough on the ice; whenever he was coming up with a plan when they were losing a tough game.

"No idea," Kendall replied, with a brief shake of his head. He then turned towards James with a smug smile. "But, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to help Jo."

"_She will be mine_," James declared before turning on his heels and making his way into the Palm Woods lobby. "Oh well. Might as well work on my acting while I'm waiting." He grabbed a chair from one of the small square tables in the lobby and moved it in front of him. He propped his foot up on a chair and rested his elbow on his knee. He then put his chin in his hand, narrowing his eyes into a look of concentration.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Camille asked, tilting her head to the side as she walked up to James.

"I'm not thinking," James replied as he turned towards her. "I'm _acting_ like I'm thinking." Camille raised an eyebrow as James backed away from the chair, lowering his foot to the floor. "Hey, you can't tell me that this face doesn't belong on the big screen." Camille shook her head when James did an odd movement with his hands by his face.

"Yeah, I don't ever want to see you do that again," she commented and James frowned. Camille stated, chuckling softly. "But, seriously James; acting is a lot more than having a pretty face."

"I know," James replied as he flipped his hair to the side. "It's also about, washboard abs!" He lifted his shirt and started to do body rolls, tightening his abs for form a six pack, emphasizing his point.

"Not bad," Camille stated and James lowered his shirt as Riley walked through the Palm Woods lobby, pushing a small rack. Dress bags hung from the rack, swinging back and forth with a creaking sound. James grinned at both girls.

"But acting is _not_ something you _do_," Camille stated. "It's something you _are_."

"Oooh," James' eyes got wide with excitement. "Can you teach me your acting ways?"

"I wouldn't reach you even if it was with my _last_ _dying breath_!" Camille snarled back in reply, her mouth twisting down into a frown.

"Really?" James looked legitimately shocked. Riley shook her head.

"No," Camille beamed and reached out, lightly hitting James on the shoulder. "See that was acting. Welcome to Camille's Academy of dramatic arts!"

"Uh, I need to help James with his choice of outfits," Riley said to Camille before looking James up and down. "Which he _really_ needs a lot of help with." Her eyes then zeroed in on his head and he self-consciously touched his hair. "You need to cut your hair, too."

James let out a mini scream, grabbing his hair. "No, no, no!" he cried, pointing a finger in her face. "I can't cut my hair! My hair makes me irresistible." He then grabbed headshots from out of nowhere and held them up to prove his point. "See? Athletic Dog Trainer, or Confused Astronaut?"

"Yeahhh, you looked like _the dog_ in this one," Riley said motioning to the picture on the left, "and in this one…you probably crashed on planet Weirdo because of your hair got in the way!"

"Harsh, Riley," Camille commented with a shake of her head.

James's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Riley to his headshots. _What's up with her_? It made no sense to him. When he had first met them, they seemed nice and really open to wanting to help them and now they would make comments about them left and right, that is if they had said _anything _to them. Patrick and Noah were more easy going, but did roll their eyes about a lot of things that came out of their mouths or about what they did. And Sydney…well, he was really shy and would often just give you a smile and a small greeting and hide by one of his brothers or sisters than interact with you directly.

"I'm sorry, but James doesn't have time for an audition—"

"For _Witches of Rodeo Drive_," Camille said, holding out the script that was in her hands. She then pointed towards her nose and her outfit. "It's a pretty big part. Maybe if he got a role, he could have his band guest on the show or something." She gave a shrug.

"_This _is exactly what I want to do," James cried, looking excited. "Being an actor/slash musician. Singing, dancing, screaming fans! It's so cool."

"You say that now," Riley stated dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. She peered closely at him. "You _sure_ this is what you want to do?"

"It's the biggest dream I've dreamt my entire life," James replied with a nod. "Ask anybody."

"And yet, you choked when it came down to your audition," Riley replied, brushing her hair out of her face. James's eyes widened slightly. "You should do more research on your rivals, James. We know all about your audition with Gustavo. In fact, I'm surprised you've been so…_open_ to this boy band thing. I mean, it was _your _dream to begin with, but Gustavo wanted Kendall."

"And Kendall wanted the rest of us there with him," James replied, slowly nodding. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. He knows how important this is to me. I have no one to thank but him."

"Maybe the problem with having such a big dream is you never stop to question whether or not you have the talent to back it up," Riley commented, scratching the side of her jaw. She fixed her eyes on James again, giving him a hint of a smile. "You'll have a whole bunch of other people who don't even know you, saying worse things about you than what I've just said. You need to learn to tune them out and do what you need to do for yourself. If it helps, I believe you all can do it. Seriously."

"Then it's settled!" Camille declared, cutting into the awkward tension. "Eye of newt and twist of fates, your acting future now awaits!" With her exclamation she threw two handfuls of powder into the air. James, Camille, and Riley coughed loudly as the dust settled down into their hair and clothes. "Baby Powder." She stated. "Cool right?"

"Right." James coughed in agreement and the three walked off.

"If you…like…choking to death," Riley said between coughs, waving her hand in the air, trying to clear the air around her mouth. "Damn."

* * *

Riley followed Camille and James to the audition of _Witched of Rodeo Drive_, partially because she was the only one out of all of them that could drive, and partly because she knew that as soon as all of that was done, she could get James's attention.

James was a nervous wreck. Not just because it was his first audition, but because Camille was there and with her experience as an actress, she was probably a shoo in for the role, but also because Riley was there, and her being around just made him nervous in general. Yes, he thought she was hot, but she had thoughts and comments for everything, much like in the lobby of the Palm Woods.

He never thought how easily it was that someone could shut him down or make him doubt what it was that he wanted to accomplish in California. He had always heard that breaking into LA was hard, but he never stopped dreaming of what he wanted to accomplish. He knew he had the talent for it, but to have Riley throw back into his face that _Kendall _was the one that Gustavo wanted, it hurt. But, it made him more determined to have everything work out. He _had _to get people to recognize what kind of talent he held.

And that was why, waiting to hear back from the audition was killing him. He paced back and forth in the kitchen of apartment 2J while Riley tried to measure him, getting more and more frustrated when he wouldn't stop moving.

"Maybe it was the wizard robes, maybe it was too much," James suggested, biting on his thumbnail. "Or maybe my laugh wasn't evil enough." He then threw his head back and started to laugh loudly. "OW!"

"I told you if you didn't sit still I _would_ prick you," Riley commented around the needle she held between her teeth, looking up at him. She then removed the needle and pointed it at him. "Want me to do it again?" James shook his head and stood still.

"Maybe it was because I wasn't able to show of my abs," James suggested. "I mean, it's five minutes past three. They were supposed to call by three." He lifted his shirt and poked at his stomach. "They wouldn't say 'no' to this."

"Impressive," Riley commented, briefly glancing up at him before going back to doing what she was doing, a light blush covering her cheeks.

"Stop it with the abs!" Camille said, rubbing at her temples with her fingertips. "They'll call. Just remember to not get upset if you don't get a part. Another pat of acting is called rejection."

James slowly nodded. He flashed back to Gustavo appearing on Kendall's doorstep. It was hard enough for Gustavo to tell him, to his face to stop singing in his presences forever, but what had stuck with him the most was that Gustavo had been looking for Kendall in the first place. Riley was right; but he didn't really want to admit it to anyone let alone himself. He wasn't wanted. But, he kept trying to push himself to show Gustavo that he was meant to be there. And he could guess he was starting to prove that because he was getting a lot of lead parts in songs.

They all jumped, James getting stabbed in the leg a second time, when Camille's phone started to ring. She fumbled for it before answering it, lifting her phone to her ear, looking excited. "Yes? Really? Got it. Thanks." She let out a breath of air as she hung up her phone.

"You got the part!" James beamed.

"No," Camille's smile slowly started to fade. James cringed when he noticed her face starting to crumple. "But see how well I'm taking it?" She started to cry, putting her arms down onto the table, putting her head down on her arms.

James' phone rang and he quickly jumped to answer it. "Hello? Really?" He looked excited. "That's-"he paused and looked over at Camille. "Too bad." He concluded. "It's good though, my agent did say I needed to learn how to handle rejection." He closed his phone and gently tossed it down, pretending to slam his hands and feet against the counter. "Darn it! Aw, I didn't get it either."

"You didn't?" Camille slowly stopped crying. James shook his head. "Oh, don't feel bad, I didn't get a part until my 32nd audition, but we'll get it next time, right?"

"Right," James agreed with a grin, bumping her fist.

"Alright, well, this witch has to fly," Camille said, removing the hat from her head. "I'm going to see if Jo is free to hang out. Riley, you want to come?"

"No," Riley replied, continuing to do what she was doing. Camille's eyebrows knitted together slightly but she muttered a 'goodbye' before heading towards the door. Riley listened to her footsteps on the floor before letting out a heavy sigh, getting to her feet. "I've got to finish this before Dak starts to work with them tomorrow." She ignored the excited look on James's face. "But….I'll take a rein check…I guess."

"Cool," Camille replied with a grin, twisting the doorknob, pulling the door open. "I'll see you guys later. And don't worry about the audition James. There's more to come in the future."

"Yeah, I'll…I'll do my best not to…to dwell on it, you know," James said, trying to hold in, what looked like tears. As soon as the door closed behind Camille, he stopped.

"You got the part didn't you?" Riley asked, getting to her feet, giving him a pointed out.

"You know, you look extremely hot when you do that," James offered, hoping to get her to stop looking at him like that. While he _did_ like getting attention from her, he didn't want to think about what he had just done. "How could you tell?"

"You suck at lying," Riley replied, her eyebrow twitching.

James laughed. "Are you saying you're good at it?" he asked. Riley's eyebrow twitched again, but she didn't say anything.

"…You're a great friend," she replied, looping the measuring tape that was in her hands around her neck. James curiously watched her, but she didn't lift her gaze to look back at him.

"So are you…helping us out, I mean," James replied. Riley snorted. _And she's back and the walls are up._

"I'm not your friend," she replied, finally looking at him as if he was crazy for using that word to describe her. "You don't even know my name."

"Details, Beautiful, details," James said, waving his hand in the air. "So, what was it that you wanted me for?"

"I want to make sure this is truly what you want to do," Riley said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Getting demos done are one thing, but if it's something that Griffin and that….Japanese dude don't like, they could still kick you out." James shifted his weight from foot to foot. "It's one thing to be rejected from a casting director, but it's another to be rejected in a business such as this."

"So, what did you have in mind?" James asked before he gave her a grin. "Although, I'd be up for anything as long as it means spending some time with you."

Riley rolled her eyes before motioning for him to follow her. But, before they could make it out of the apartment, the door swung open and Mrs. Knight walked in with her arms filled with grocery bags. James immediately hurried to help Mrs. Knight, but Riley stood where she was, shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking bored.

"Hi…Rhuben?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"Riley," Riley instantly corrected her, looking at her phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Knight replied with a gentle smile. "Riley…wears red. I'll do my best to remember it."

"Its fine," Riley replied, using her thumb to scroll through something on her phone. "It takes a while for people to figure it out." She then added, "as long as you even _try_." James frowned, catching the look on Mrs. Knight's face. It was one thing to indirectly insult someone James's age, but with Mrs. Knight, it was different. Mrs. Knight was his mom while he was there in California.

"Mama Knight, we were just about to head out," James said as he unpacked boxes of cereal.

"Oh, you don't have to do this, James," Mrs. Knight said, patting him on the arm. "I can take care of it, don't worry." She then turned back towards Riley. "Will you be back in time for dinner? You're welcome to stay."

Riley's eyebrows twitched. "Um, no thanks, I have to make dinner at home tonight," Riley replied, sliding her cell phone back into her pocket. "Dad's out late." James noticed her jaw twitched. It looked like she was going to say something else, but decided not to.

"Do you need a ride?" Mrs. Knight asked, looking back and forth between the two teenagers.

"Are you enjoying your new car, Mama Knight?" James asked with a grin. Mrs. Knight smiled and rubbed his back before moving to give her a hug.

"Surprised Ronan even gave you that car," Riley commented, rocking back and forth on her heels. "He doesn't do it that often." She tilted her head to the side. "Must think you're pretty special."

"We're just friends," Mrs. Knight said, putting her hands up defensively. "I barely know the guy."

Riley muttered something under her breath as she turned her head. "No, we don't need a ride, I have my car," she said, reaching into her pocket to pull out her car keys. Her expression softened for a moment. "Thanks for the offer, though." Mrs. Knight blinked before relaxing into a smile.

"You're welcome," she replied. "Just be back by curfew, it's a school night."

Riley looked over at James, giving him an amused look, but he didn't respond as he moved into his room to quickly change clothes. He changed out of Camille's wizard outfit, writing himself a note to return it to her later, before following Riley out of the Palm Woods and into her car. She wouldn't tell him where they were going as they pulled into LA traffic, but that didn't stop him from being nervous about what he was going to do. At the same time, he was excited to be seeing more of the city. In the few months he'd been out in LA, he hasn't had a lot of time to see Los Angeles.

His jaw dropped when she pulled in front of a karaoke bar. Rhuben was waiting for them outside, and gave a brief nod of her head in greeting as he got out of the car. He followed the two girls inside, his heart pounding. He didn't know if he was actually there to sing or if he was going to watch them or what. He thought it'd be a good idea to see them perform, to get some ideas on how to perform with his friends.

It was weird to know that he was the only one there. Sure, he was the one who was so big about becoming a performer, and yes, he always thought about being a solo performer. But, with how far they had gotten together, he couldn't think of it any other way. So right now, it was weird being alone in a place like this, without knowing what it was he was doing. With his friends, he always had some sort of comfort there. It wasn't that he didn't trust the two girls, but they were pretty standoff-ish and it was unsettling to him.

He had barely sat down when Rhuben went up to perform a song. James didn't recognize what the song was, but she really got into it. And the crowd was loving her; whether or not they knew who it was that was singing. Although, given how famous her band was, he could tell that they knew who she was. And from the announcement of her singing, both she and Riley had been there previously. He had so many questions running through his mind, but before he could ask any questions, he was called up and he had never been more nervous in his entire life.

"Well?" Riley asked, raising her eyebrows, turning towards James. She motioned towards the stage as Rhuben handed the microphone in her hand back to the man who was managing the list of those who wanted to sing.

"I don't know if I can…" James trailed off. _What's the matter with me_? He had never felt nerves like this before. He was James _freaking _Diamond. He didn't get nervous. But, his palms were starting to sweat, and he was feeling hot around the collar. His heartbeat quickened.

"This is just a room full of strangers, no big," Riley said with a shrug. "When you're performing on sold out tours, you're performing for _thousands_ of strangers."

"_James Diamond; are you here_?"

"If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person, actor, musician, whatever, you might've been," Rhuben commented in a sing-song voice as she sat down across from James, sitting next to Riley. "Hearing how much you want this, I know you don't want to still be a wannabe. You've barely dented what it means to be a band out here. You're _all_ wannabes right now."

James pushed his chair back, making his way towards the stage to the smattering of applause from the audience members. He licked his lips and swallowed thickly as he took the microphone in shaky hands. The stage manager showed him which song he was going to sing and he grinned when he recognized the song, _Tracks of My Tears_. It was the same song he had sung for his audition for Gustavo.

James felt his smile widened as the music started. He moved through the song, singing a little timidly at first, then he started to dance to the song, swinging his hips, grabbing the microphone in both hands, milking his performance for all it was worth, and the audience (especially the ladies) were enjoying it. But, he was having fun. _This must be like performing a concert is like, on a larger scale_. He had never felt so energized before, and as he stepped off the stage, he realized he wanted to do it again and again.

Riley and Rhuben applauded along with the crowd as he sat back down. "That was amazing," he said, letting out the breath of air he didn't know he was holding in a rush. Some people that passed by on their way out, patted him on the back, telling him what a good job he did. His smile kept getting wider and wider, his cheeks hurting. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little surprised myself," Riley commented, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair.

"So," James said, brushing his hair back. He looked back and forth between the two girls who looked back at him, seeming to be bored. "Tell me the truth. How bad did I suck?"

"You were good," Rhuben replied, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a stick of gum.

"Come on!" James said with a little bit of a laugh, drumming his hands on the table. He didn't think he'd be able to sit still he if wanted to. "You…_you _were great. All I did was—"

"Perform," the girls replied in unison. James rested his chin in his hand, before leaning back in his chair, and then he leaned forward again, drumming his hands on the table again.

"Alright, a little," Riley said, waving her hand in the air. James raised his eyebrows. "A lot. You sucked a lot. Boy, you really blew." She smirked at him, her shoulders shaking slightly as if she wanted to laugh, but she was stopping herself. "Feel better now?"

"I don't care," James replied, distractedly. He shook his head. "Man, I've given speeches and stuff, but being up there, not knowing what to do."

"Kind of a rush right?" Rhuben asked, her eyebrows raised. "A big time rush?"

"Yeah," James agreed, slowly nodding. "A big time rush."

It all made sense to him now. He was truly doing what it was that he was supposed to be doing. He was supposed to be a performer. And he was in California doing what it was that he really wanted to do. There was no time for nerves. There was only time for working towards his goal. And he had his three brothers there to help him out.

"You need to trust us more, James," Rhuben commented, tapping her finger nails on the table. "I mean, we _are_ here to help you."

"Alright," James agreed, "as long as you trust _us _in return. We just want to be your friends. That's all."

"You don't want to be friends with us," Riley immediately replied. Before James could ask, he had his answer.

"Too much baggage," Rhuben said.

* * *

Katie jumped, setting her book down when she heard the familiar jingle of a video call on Skype. She looked over to her computer, which sat on the desk across the room from her bed, before getting up. She expected to see Lizzie's picture pop up on her computer. She was used to getting a call every now and then from Lizzie, but it was still weird.

Comforting.

But weird.

She wasn't used to someone who was so open to wanting to be her friend. She was weird, quiet, and so obsessed with money, at least that's what others have said about her. But, it didn't seem like Lizzie cared. Mrs. Knight said to her that it was probably because Lizzie was just as lonely as she was, but Katie wasn't quick to accept that reason. I mean, Lizzie lived in California all her life; she was the baby sister of _the _Teen Icon. Surely, she had other friends.

Katie's eyes widened when she saw that it wasn't Lizzie's picture on her computer screen, but it was Patrick's. She quickly adjusted her pillows before reaching into her pocket for her tube of lip gloss. After applying the lip gloss she quickly fluffed up her hair with her fingers and then answered the call.

"'Bout time," Patrick commented with a grin as soon as he appeared on Katie's screen. She was going to answer him, but her breath got caught in her throat when she realized that he was shirtless, and because he had a _lot _of hair. It was practically down to his shoulders instead of up in its normal spiky look.

"Uh—"

"Oh, I just got back from surfing," Patrick commented, brushing his hair back from his face. "Yeah, a lot of people are amazed to find out how much hair I have." He gripped a chunk of his hair with his hand before shrugging. "Anyway, we heard you stopped by the studio today? You and Lizzie?"

"Oh, yeah, we…uh, wanted to see if you guys wanted to hang out," Katie replied. Patrick suddenly lowered his eyes into a glare and Katie bit her bottom lip.

"We had the day off since Gustavo gave your brother and them a day off," he replied pushing his computer back to rest his arms on, what Katie assumed was the counter. "Not like that'd matter, but we're not allowed to have visitors while we work."

"Oh," Katie said, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Sorry. I didn't know."

"Lizzie knows," Patrick replied with a shrug, "but I don't think she cares." Patrick then looked to a spot at his left. "No! Come say 'hi' to Katie. Where's Syd?" Patrick blinked when there was silence on the other end. "Legos? Oh, ok. Come say 'hi'."

Patrick moved back in his chair and Noah sat down in his lap, brushing his hair out of his face. Katie put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. It was a cute gesture, and you barely saw boys do it that often. Noah gave a brief smile and a "hey, what's up?" in greeting. That, to Katie, was a big milestone as it was the most she had ever heard him say since she had gotten out to LA.

"Just hanging out, waiting for dinner," Katie replied, brushing her hair to one shoulder. "What are you guys doing?"

"Starving," Noah replied, brushing his hair out of his face. Katie noticed silver bands around his fore finger and pinky.

"Dad's out late and Riley normally cooks for us," Patrick explained, jostling Noah before wrapping his arms around his brother's waist, pulling him back against his chest. "We're not good at it. Burnt oatmeal once."

"Mmm, salad for me," Katie replied, putting her hand in the air. Patrick and Noah both raised their eyebrows. For a second, she was surprised to see that the two of them, despite trying to be so different could be alike. She quickly noticed that Patrick as louder than Noah, he wore his hair up when Noah kept his down, and what was obvious to everyone else, he talked more. "Don't ask."

"So, what's Jo like?" Patrick asked, "we haven't really gotten the chance to talk to her.

Noah nodded in agreement. "She's pretty," he muttered and Patrick made a noise of agreement. Katie shifted her gaze to the background of their screen and saw that they were in the kitchen. The tv was on behind them showing some cartoon she couldn't really make out. _Of course they'd think Jo is pretty. She _is _pretty. Really pretty_.

"Well, after my brother spent the whole day looking like an idiot because of this supposed boyfriend she had, we found out that she doesn't actually have one," Katie replied. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over at Patrick. _Did he look happy because of that_?

"She faked having a boyfriend?" he asked, scratching at a spot on the back of his neck.

"She said career first and boyfriend later," Katie replied with a shrug. "I heard her on the phone. But, they're going to the movies this weekend or something." She gave another shrug, her nose wrinkling. "People act so stupid when they fall in love or whatever."

"Falling in love and having a relationship are two different things," Noah commented, slowly blinking. There was a buzzing sound and Noah reached off screen for his phone. He then turned to look at his brother. "So Lizzie wanted to hang at Santa Monica Pier. They brought the carnival stuff back."

"Bonzer," Patrick said with a nod before looking directly at Katie. "You in?" He nudged his brother. "It could be like a double date." Noah elbowed Patrick in the chest before replying to the text on his phone.

Katie froze. She didn't know if Patrick was being funny or being serious. Either way, it would be her first date. She didn't want to be too eager and suddenly shout out that she'd want to go, because she _did_, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, it was like she didn't know how to form her own words. She just nodded, hoping that she didn't look too eager.

"Cool," Patrick replied and then poked Noah in the side. "Tell her Katie's in." He then gave Katie a lopsided smile, and Katie couldn't help but smile back. "I like your screen name by the way." Katie looked over at her name: **Katie$Kat. **It was a screen name she's had since she was a kid with IM, and while she had never changed it, she did get embarrassed by it from time to time.

"Thanks," Katie replied, quickly looking over at his: **StPattyCake.**"I like yours too." And then she giggled. Which was _really_ unlike her. Her eyes widened as she slapped a hand over her mouth. Noah glanced up at the laugh, and looked at her and then at Patrick before getting off of his brother's lap, heading out of the room.

"Thanks," Patrick said, his face turning bright red, making his blue eyes stand out even more. "Riles made it for me when I was younger." He rested his chin in his palm. "So, are you liking LA?"

"I haven't really seen it, but, yeah," Katie replied with a shrug. "I miss my friends back home sometimes, but—" Katie heard a door slam and looked up from her computer screen, wondering if it was from the Palm Woods. She was silent for a moment and realized that it didn't come from her. She then turned back to her computer and saw Patrick looking over his shoulder. "Sorry, I thought that—"

"_Living room. Now…where are my keys_?"

"Gotta go," Patrick said, turning his head back to his computer. He gave a quick wave. "Bye." And his screen went blank. Katie sighed, staring at the screen of her computer for a moment. Before Patrick signed off, Skype froze on a picture of Patrick, and he looked a little…scared.

But, before Katie could dwell on the thought, Lizzie had sent her a text, asking her about what clothes they should wear at the pier. She had a nagging feeling that she should've paid more attention to it, but as soon as she started to get into the conversation, and realize that she was going on a "date" with Patrick (or Noah, she wasn't sure which she would actually be going on the "date" with) did it run clear from her mind. Because she started to panic about her clothes, what make up she'd wear, and telling Kendall about it.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you guys liked this chapter. Do you all think I'm doing a good job showing the slow evolution of their friendship, or do you think I could do better with it? No italics in this one either. Have you all figured out why they're being used/not used? It makes more sense as it gets to the climax of this fic.

If I hadn't said it before, while this fic is going through Season 1 of episodes (or episodes I think are important to BTR's progress in LA in regards to this fic) the series is going along with the timeline we have set up for our characters. If you want to read the timeline, there's a link in our profile. Also, the alternate title to this fic is "Make It Or Break It." Because this is the first fic in the "Never Again Series" it's full title is "Never Again: Make It or Break It."

Be sure to check out our "Upcoming Fics" section on our tumblr (link in profile) to see what we have coming up. If you have any questions about our fics or our characters, or just want to talk, you can get us through PMs, or tumblr, or our twitter. We love talking to you guys.

**PS: Due to exams starting this week, _Just Listen_, most likely will be pushed back to being updated on Friday. But, I might have a one-shot or two (Lolla and Patie) up before then.  
**

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	18. Under Pressure: Logan

**~18~**

"Would you relax, baby sis, I'm fine," Kendall smiled down at Katie, before his smile turned into a grimace as his chest burned.

"You're not fine, big bro, and stop trying to tell me otherwise," Katie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're obviously hurt, Kendall. How many times has mom told you not to play hockey in the apartment? And now _this _happens. Not to mention, I doubt you were actually fully recovered from the fan girl attack at the studio"

Kendall rolled his eyes to look up at the ceiling and shook his head, muttering under his breath." I told you, Katie, I get injuries like this from hockey all the time. It's nothing to worry about."

"Mhm," Katie replied, raising an eyebrow.

Kendall cracked a smile as he reached out to mess up Katie's hair. His gaze then moved to the window and he smiled as he saw the glittering blue ocean far off in the distance as the sun shined high over the city. He still couldn't believe he was staying in Los Angeles. But, just because they weren't in Minnesota didn't mean they had to drop hockey all together. They took to playing hockey in the apartment, ignoring Mrs. Knight's rule, and this is why Kendall is in the hospital now. Carlos got so into the game, he checked Kendall into the apartment's island. He didn't think it was a problem, but wanted to check if he had any bruises, just in case.

"Kates-"

He stopped talking when the door opened and Sydney headed into the room. He ran and jumped onto the bed that sat across from the bed that Kendall was sitting on, and hummed to himself, kicking his legs in the air.

"Alright, Mr. Jackson, I hope I don't have to see you here anytime soon," a doctor asked as he walked into the room seconds later, closing the door behind him. "Does your wrist hurt anymore?"

"Mmm mmm," the small boy shook his head from side to side, smiling. He lifted his arm when the doctor beckoned him to do so and sat still as the doctor wrapped Ace bandage around his wrist before pinning it securely. "And you can blame my brothers for me being here again."

"What happened this time?" the doctor asked chuckling as he flexed the boy's wrist, gauging the look on his face for pain.

"Slammed my wrist in a door, no big," Sydney shrugged, raising one side of his mouth into a smile. "We rough house a lot when daddy's not home."

"And how's your back?" the doctor raised his eyebrows. The boy twisted his upper half back and forth, giggling. "Good, I see. Alright, young man, you're free to go. Do you have anyone to take you home? Is your dad here with you?"

"No sir, he's not, but I'm here to take him," Patrick said as he walked into the room. He gave Kendall and Katie a brief smile and waved his hand.

_"My dad's taking me to McDonald's after this," Kendall said with a wide smile, his dimples appearing in his cheeks as a nurse pressed a stethoscope to his back, tapping his shoulder to tell him to breathe deeply. He did as he was told, happily kicking his legs back and forth. "He always takes me after doctor's visits. He's waiting outside."_

_"Well, why are you here today, Mr. Knight?" the nurse asked with a warm smile. Kendall opened his mouth, but Mrs. Knight quickly jumped in._

_"He, um, had a hard fall during hockey practice and he said his hip was hurting," Mrs. Knight said from where she sat in the corner of the room. Kendall twisted on the table to look at his mom and she gave him a pointed look in return before facing the doctor again. "He has a pretty big bruise, but I wanted to check the area just in case. He also hit his head pretty hard. He plays pee wee—"_

_"Ah, it is that time of year again," the nurse said with a knowing smile. "I have a whole bunch of kids coming in here for stitches, concussions…who knew a bunch of kids would get so competitive in a game like this." She gave a sigh. "Sometimes I think the coaches push their kids a little too hard. I mean, it's just a game."_

_"A fun game," Kendall reassured her with a smile._

_"Yes, yes," Mrs. Knight said, slowly nodding, her smile fading slight. "I agree. It's just a game."_

"Hey, Patrick." Kendall jumped at Sydney's call. Katie gave him a questioning look, but he ignored her. " I thought Rhu-Rhu was supposed to pick me up," Sydney said, sliding off the bed until his feet hit the floor.

"She went on a run with Riles and Logan through Runyon Canyon," Patrick replied. "Dak drove me here. Noah's in the car, waiting." He then gave Sydney an amused look before addressing everyone in the room. "Apparently, it's a bad idea to call your sister fat when she's scarfing down fries from Maccas."

"You really need to learn tact," Sydney stated, rolling his eyes. "But, I'm ready to go."

"Thanks for everything, Doc," Patrick smiled shaking the doctor's hand. "Promise to be careful when we're playing around."

"You better," the doctor replied with a smile. Patrick grinned in return. "I hope I don't see you again soon." Patrick laughed a little bit as the doctor fished a lollipop out of his coat pocket and handed it to Sydney, who beamed up at him, taking the candy before jumping onto Patrick's back.

Patrick grunted at the sudden change of weight on his back, but hooked his arms under his brother's legs and held him still. "Peace," he gave a one finger salute in goodbye before turning and making his way out the door. He stopped and turned back towards Katie, wiggling his thumbs.

"Bye," Sydney said. He lifted his hand and open and closed his hand into a fist as he waved.

"Kendall Knight, I presume," the doctor turned on his heels and made his way over to Kendall and Katie. "Sorry for the wait, I'm Doctor Forrester."

"Nice to meet you," Kendall shook his hand, smiling. "We didn't wait long. It's ok."

"No it's not," Katie protested, shooting his brother an annoyed look. "I could be plotting how I'm going to take over this town…or at least figuring out how to get money out of those tightwads at the Palm Woods." A large grin crossed her face. "I'm thinking shaved ice."

"That's my sister, Katie," Kendall tilted his head in Katie's direction. Katie gave him a small wave and a tight lipped smile.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Dr. Forrester said with a smile. He pulled two black sheets out of his folder and held it up to a light on the wall. "Luckily Kendall nothing is broken but we had to be sure." He pointed to an area around Kendall's right side of the rib cage on the X-Ray. "You've got some slight bruising around your chest and I suggest you take a few days to let it heal. No rough housing or anything. You can still dance if you're up for it."

"Tell that to his loser friends," Katie said with a smirk, earning a small glare from Kendall. She stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

"Promise," Kendall offered a smile, already thinking of a way around that plan to still have fun with his friends. "So, what do I need to do? Ointment? Do I need to come back?"

"No, not unless you do something to make it worse or slow the healing process," Dr. Forrester replied, sitting down on his stool to write instructions on a notepad. "Ice it for 5-10 minutes as soon as you get back home and try not to touch the bruise to hard surfaces or that the area subject to repeated impacts. This can cause painful spikes in the bruised area." He ripped the sheet of paper off the notepad and handed it over to him. "Also eat foods high in bioflavonoids, or Vitamin P to help speed up the healing of the bruise. Lemons, green peppers, and broccoli are foods with Vitamin P. Ice as needed."

"Alright, thank you, sir, I promise to be more careful," Kendall smiled as he got to his feet, motioning for Katie to do the same.

"You're quite welcome," Dr. Forrester replied, grabbing Kendall's file, following them out the front door of the office. "Have a great day."

"Thanks, you too," Kendall moved to the side as a nurse brushed past him. He folded up the slip of paper and placed it into his back pocket. "You ready to go?"

"Let me get something from the candy machine first, I'm starving," Katie replied, immediately making a bee line towards the candy machine. Kendall sighed and followed her, leaning against the wall as he waited for her. He tilted his head to the side and watched as the nurse approached the doctor, a worried look on her face.

"They've been here a lot lately," the nurse whispered, motioning to the folder sitting in the pocket that was hanging off the wall. Kendall peered at it and saw the last name Jackson printed on it. "Did they give you the rough housing line again?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," Dr. Forrester replied with a heavy sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "They seem like the type to do that, they're really close." He pressed his lips together. "But you are right. They've been here 7 times in the past two months." He shook his head back and forth. "That's not normal, but it's nothing bigger than a sprained ankle, or a sprained wrist and you never know which kid is actually coming in."

"It…doesn't seem right," the nurse ran her fingers through her hair. "Their dad never comes, it's always one of the girls that deals with the paperwork and paying for their visits."

"Being a manager for their budding music careers, it doesn't really surprise me that he doesn't come here," Dr. Foresster looked down at his feet before looking back up at the nurse.

"Kendall?" Kendall jumped when he felt Katie's hand rest on her shoulder. He turned to face her as she chomped down on a Baby Ruth bar. The smell of peanuts and chocolate hit his nose and he suddenly became hungry. "What's up, big bro?" Bits of peanuts and chocolate shot out of her mouth and hit the floor as she spoke.

"Nothing, just getting hungry," Kendall grinned as Katie made a noise of protest as he took her bar of candy and took a large bite out of it before handing it back to her. "Let's get going, mom would want to hear the diagnosis."

Katie shrugged and fell into step with her brother as they made their way out of the doctor's office. He couldn't take his mind off of the doctors' conversation. Something about it gave him a bad feeling, but he couldn't figure out what could possibly be wrong.

Katie saw the look on Kendall's face, but interpreted it as being upset that he couldn't play hockey for a little bit. "Cheer up, big bro, you'll have that hockey stick in your hands in no time, you'll see," she gave him a confident smile. "Nothing's ever stopped you before."

"That wasn't what I was thinking of, but thanks, Katie," Kendall smiled and pulled her into his side in a hug. He winced slightly when her shoulder dug into his bruised side. _I'm going to kill Carlos_.

"Than what were you thinking about?" Katie asked, looking up at him with her warm brown eyes.

"Nothing important, don't worry about it," Kendall replied, trying to keep a straight face at the pain in his side whenever he breathed. "I was worried about what Gustavo was going to say about all of this."

"You mean what he's going to _yell_ about it," Katie said with a shake of her head. She grew quiet for a moment and Kendall looked over at her.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing," Katie replied, giving him a smile.

* * *

Logan was happy to know that he would be working with two of his old friends, but he didn't anticipate actually having to work at their friendship. He hoped he could just slid back into what they had when they were kids, but that was obvious it wasn't going to be that way. Riley and Rhuben were all about their work and BTR's work and he couldn't fault them for that, and he was proud of what they had accomplished over the years, but even he wanted to talk about other things outside of dance steps he messed up on and his measurements for fittings.

He did have some time with them on Fridays to hang out. It was like they used to do when they were kids, set time aside on Fridays so they could hang out with each other. Due to their busy schedules, it didn't happen as often as he would like, but then again, he was just as happy to spend even the smallest amount of time with them. They had all changed and grown up, but in some ways they were still the same.

"So, this is LA, huh?" Logan asked, shifting the sunglasses on his nose.

He, Riley, and Rhuben were sitting on the edge of a rocky ledge, legs dangling over the sides, looking out over the city of Los Angeles. They were taking a morning run through Runyon Canyon. Logan wasn't too happy about it as he was the guinea pig on the Jacksons daily test of the boys' physical fitness. Luckily, playing hockey kept him in shape, but he was nowhere near the kind of shape the two girls were in.

The city looked so small from where he was sitting, and if he didn't see the cloud surrounding the city, he would've thought that the smog was a myth. It could easy fit several million people, and it most likely did, and the technology was a bit more advanced than in Minnesota. A gentle breeze blew, sliding the cloud s through the sky, but none of them covered up the bright, warm, sun.

"Doesn't look as spectacular up here, does it, mate?" Riley asked, kicking her legs back and forth.

Logan frowned slightly. In the short months he was reunited with his friends he found them speaking in American accents despite being from Australia. But, it sounded out of sorts as they continued to use Australian slang. It was jarring from time to time, and he didn't understand the slang all the time.

"Can I ask you a question?" Logan asked, leaning his weight back onto his hands. The twin girls exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders. "Why do you use Aussie slang if you speak with an American accent?"

"A question we've gotten a lot over the years," Riley said in a bored tone, wiping at a splotch of dirt from her shorts. "Dad thought we'd…appeal to the American people more if we used American accents. You've seen _House _right?"

Logan nodded. Hell, he used to be addicted to the show. Wanting to be a doctor, he would watch the show and try and see if he could figure out what was wrong with the patient in the episode before the title character would announce it on the screen. That was something he and Riley had in common, they had both wanted to be doctors when they were kids. Logan because he liked to help people, and Riley because she was such a klutz when she was a kid, that she would bandage herself, and others up. She also was called Web M.D. for a while because she would _always_ look up symptoms for someone online.

"Do you know how many people rave over the fact that Hugh Laure is British and they didn't know it because of his accent?" Rhuben finished for her sister. She shrugged. "He wants the same effect. Besides, we're Ozzies through and through, there's no way we'd give up the slang, mate."

"So…we're friends? Still?" Logan asked, a hopeful look on his face. The only slang he picked up on pretty quickly was that mate was slang for "friend."

"If it's one thing we've learned in this city it's that your friends are the ones who keep you grounded, who know what you're going through," Riley explained, "but at the same time, they can quickly stab you in the back to get ahead."

"I wouldn't do that," Logan protested, looking at the two girls. "Look, it's been years, and you two were some of my best friends. You…you looked out for me when we were kids—"

"You were going to be pummeled over Pokemon cards," Riley interrupted him, turning in her seat to give him a pointed out over her sunglasses. "You had a spare holographic Charizard card." She gave him a smirk. "Of course we'd step in."

Logan rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Yeah, yeah… whatever." He looked over at Riley as she ran her fingers through her hair. "What happened to your hand?" Riley stopped what she was doing and peered down at her knuckles which were slightly bruised and bright red.

_Camille slapped her hand over her face, forcing James to pull down his shirt. James frowned as he adjusted the wizard's hat on his head. "Jesus, you call that evil?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "James, evil has to come from within, ok?"_

_"Well, I guess, but I'm not an angry person," James said with a shrug._

_"You're an actor James, you have to act like you're mad," Camille replied, shaking her head. She looked around the Palm Woods lobby. "Ok, you see that guy over there?" She pointed towards a teenager wearing a baseball cap backwards on his head. He was looking through a magazine._

_"Yeah, why?" James asked with another shrug._

_"I want you to imagine that he broke…your lucky comb," Camille said with an evil grin. James let out a small shriek of shock, his eyes flying open._

_"You…have a lucky comb_?" _Riley asked, raising her eyebrows. _

_James turned towards her, giving her a wink. "I don't wake up and look this handsome," he commented, and then a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Well, I mean, I do, but even I need some help from time to time." Riley rolled her eyes, shaking her head."Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some evil to take care of."_

_James then strolled over to the teenager in the chair, removed his wizard hat and smacked him over the top of the head. "Hey!" James gasped, tilting his head back as the teenager stood up to face him. He glared at James, throwing his cap to the ground. "Uh, hi."_

_"What do you want?" the teenager asked, shoving James. James stumbled back a few steps, rapidly stammering, looking over at Camille, who's eyes were wide with shock. He shoved James again. "Huh? What do you want?" Shove. James stumbled back into the Palm Woods check in counter._

_"You see…um, I…uh—" James swallowed thickly when the guy grabbed handfuls of his shirt._

_"Yo, biff!" Riley shouted, storming over to the guy. She grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. Riley let out a grunt of pain when James collided with her shoulder. The teenager let go of James as Riley regained her footing, glaring up at him. "Get your hands off him."_

_The tall boy chuckled, releasing James. "You talking to me, little girl?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice._

_"Yeah, green bean," Riley shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. James looked back and forth between Riley and the boy. She jabbed him hard in the chest. "And if you touch him again, you're going to be wearing your face on the back of your head."_

_"And you're going to make me?" the boy asked, raising his eyebrows. _

_Riley took a step closer, giving him a sweet smile, also having to tilt her head back to look coldly into his eyes. "What do you want me to move first?" she asked, cracking her knuckles. "Your nose or your ears?"_

_"You don't have the guts," the teenage boy said, shoving James once again. Riley grabbed his wrist, twisting his hand, shoving him back before pointing a finger in his face._

_"Touch him one more time and you'll be mopping up your teeth with a broom," she said. Her eyebrows rose in amusement when the boy slapped her hand away._

_"Oh yeah?" he asked._

_"Yeah!" she replied before punching him across the face. She shook her hand, trying to shake away the sting, as she glared down at him_

"You still have that wicked temper?" Logan asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "I guess I should thank you for helping James. But, I don't think punching him was a good idea."

"Of course you wouldn't," Rhuben commented, brushing her hair behind her ears. Logan looked over at her and she had an odd look on her face. "Believe it or not, around here, it helps to know that you can defend yourself."

"I guess," Logan replied with a nod."Los Angeles _is_ known to be pretty violent, right?" Rhuben's lips twitched, and her eyebrows narrowed as if she was going to contradict him, but didn't say anything else.

He noticed they did that often; changing the subject or they suddenly stop talking if they were getting into, what he could guess, was too personal of a topic. Which kind of hurt as they used to be so close that they could talk about everything and anything. He knew that being apart for years there's the possibility that it would be a little hard to slip back into their old friendship. He just didn't think it would take more than two months to do so. But, he wasn't sure on how to start things off.

But, from the few months of being in LA, he was reassured knowing that no matter how long he knew the two girls, they had certain behaviors and habits he doubt they would ever break. Such as smirking. It drove him crazy as they only smirked at him whenever they were teasing him…which was almost all the time. And they were just as stubborn and talked back just as much as the day he had met him. And that was when he was eight years old; a good eight years ago.

After they met they were inseparable, hanging out at each other's houses, going down to the creek, exploring through the woods, finding ways to beat the hot Texas sun. They even took gymnastics classes together, not that he'd ever admit it to Kendall, James, and Carlos. But, he knew he had a mean back flip and it helped with his performances, and he was happy to know that Rhuben allowed him to use it in their routines.

"You alright?" Rhuben suddenly asked him. "You got quiet. You're _never _quiet."

"Yeah, you're always talking about something," Riley added with, and he saw it coming, a smirk.

He figured that was their trademark thing. And it worked well for them. He didn't hesitate to notice and to admit that the Jacksons were a good looking family. With the black hair and blue eyes that they all share, it was no secret that they were related. But, he never thought his friends would be so successful with their music. But, he was proud of them.

"So, do you have any extra CDs or anything I could listen to?" Logan asked, looking at both girls. His eyebrows twitched when the two girls leaned forward to peer around him, sharing a look. "I just want to hear your music. I haven't really kept up to be honest with you."

"No worries, it's just…normal teenage music," Rhuben replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing you really need to worry about." She gave a brief smile. "Besides, we don't want you to start thinking we're—"

"—celebrities," Riley finished for her sister and Rhuben nodded. "We're just kids who got a lucky break. Our music is no big deal."

"Well, I'd really like to listen to it—"

"_NO_," the two girls all but shouted in his ears.

Logan flinched, lifting his shoulders to his ears to block out the loud sound. The twins exchanged wide eyed looks before adopting their usual bored expressions. _That was weird. _Logan looked back and forth at the two girls. _What was that about_?

"It's...our music doesn't seem like anything you'd really get into," Rhuben said, waving her hand into the air. "You should just pass on it."

"Hard pass," Riley added and Logan grinned.

"Harrrrd pass," he said, finishing their inside joke and the three of them started laughing. _I don't think I've ever heard them laugh since we go out here_. He missed being able to get them to laugh. Granted, a lot of the time, they were laughing _at_ him, but it was laughter nonetheless.

"We should be getting back," Riley said, looking at her watch. "We need to get changed, and we're meeting a friend in town."

"Who?" Logan asked as he got to his feet, carefully getting back onto the path up the mountain.

"Dak Zevon," Rhuben replied, brushing off the seat of her pants before they started making their trek down Runyon Canyon. "He's officially signed Gustavo's contract and he'll be starting work with you guys tomorrow. You have some more demos to submit soon and it'll help to get all the help you can get."

"We're that bad?" Logan asked, a worried look crossing his face. _And here I thought we were making progress. I guess it's a good thing Rhuben is helping Kendall and I out, then_.

"You're improving," Riley replied, kicking at a rock. "You're not as big a bunch of saps like we originally thought." Rhuben reached out and pinched Riley's elbow.

"Thanks, I guess," Logan replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Riley clenched her teeth together. "Sorry," she said, tugging at her shirt collar. Logan only then noticed that she was wearing a long sleeved shirt. She didn't seem to be uncomfortable in the hot garment, but it _was _pretty hot outside. "I didn't mean it."

"It's fine," Logan replied, moving to give her a one-armed hug. Riley squirmed under his grasp. "You ok?"

"Hard work out yesterday," Rhuben explained as Riley rubbed her arm. "We're just a little sore, that's all."

"But, you'd have to be worse to your work outs by now," Logan suggested, peering at Rhuben over th top of his sunglasses, adjusting the hat on his head. "I mean, Patrick's been running them for years now, right?"

"And he always steps them up whenever dad asks him too," Riley said with a roll of his eyes. "Speaking of which, Rhubes, remind me to get the kids some new work out gloves." Rhuben gave Riley a thumbs up in reply before noticing Logan's expression.

"Patrick, Noah, and Sydney," she explained and Logan slowly nodded. "They're a bunch of brats, but that's to be expected from them. Dad's out late a lot for meetings for our band and music and stuff, wanting to get our name out everywhere. Marketing, you know?"

"Makes sense," Logan replied with a nod. "That sucks though, that he's not around a lot."

"Sucks like a vacuum," Riley agreed, slowly nodding.

"Within a vacuum," Rhuben added, laughing a little bit. "Or a—"

"Hot pair of lips on a cold cherry popsicle," the three of them finished together before they started laughing again.

As their laughter faded away, Logan was met with silence once more. He realized that Riley and Rhuben were looking at each other, making faces, and shaking their heads. He sighed; they did this when they were kids, too. Silent conversations. They were so in tune with each other that they didn't even have to talk out loud to hold a conversation. The problem with it was that you never knew if you were the one being talked about.

"He's around enough," Rhuben finally said. "Dad. You know what he's like." She chewed on her bottom lip. "He wasn't always around when we were kids." She then hesitantly looped an arm around his waist and Logan smiled. "Besides, that gave us more time to hang out with you—" the two girls exchanged glances.

"Logie-Bear," they finished together and Logan winced.

"God, not that nickname," he groaned, making a face. "I always _hated_ that nickname."

"We know," the two girls said in unison as Riley looped her arm through Logan's. "We're sorry that…we made it hard for you the past few months, Logan. We…we didn't know how much you had changed over the years—"

"And we've been so into our music, we don't really know how to stop and have fun," Rhuben added. Riley nodded. "It's been so long."

"Yeah, we need to catch up," Riley added.

"How about this Friday?" Logan asked, feeling a smile come to his face. "Ice cream?" He held out his free hand and Riley and Rhuben slapped their hands into his palm, their three way handshake they used to do when they were kids.

"Deal," the two of them said in unison.

"What happened to your wrist?" Logan asked, noticing a purplish splotch on Rhuben's wrist. Her shirtsleeve had ridden up a little bit. He curiously looked over at Rhuben as she grasped the edge of her shirt sleeve, pulling it down.

"Gross right?" she asked and Logan nodded. "I caught my wrist in a rock after a wipe out from surfing."

"It just looks bad," he said, making a face. "It doesn't hurt or anything?" Rhuben shook her head, batting the air with her palm. "Well, that's good."

"No worries, Logie-Bear, I'm fine," Rhuben replied.

Logan sighed, rolling his eyes. "Do you purposely try to get under my skin?" He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a huff of air before giving a fake pout.

"Of course," Riley replied, giving him a toothy grin. "My whole life's mission is to make you miserable."

"I wouldn't put it past you," Logan stated as they finally made it to the bottom of the hill. They headed over to her car and she popped the trunk, grabbing some towels.

Logan shook his head, using one hand to catch the towel. "It's so unfair that you have your licenses already."

"Hey, we're of age, not our fault you're waiting so long to get yours," Riley commented, draping a towel across the front seat. "Get in, Logie."

Logan's upper lip curled. He wasn't all that thrilled to get in the car with her in the first place. Saying that she has road rage would be an understatement. She drove fast, yelled at people for not using their turn signals, and easily got annoyed when sitting in LA traffic…all things that were pretty normal stuff. But, it was enough to make him hold onto the arm rest for dear life. But, he got into the car anyway, with Rhuben sitting in the back seat.

"Hey, Logie," Rhuben commented, leaning forward so her head stuck out between their seats. "Tell me a story?"

_"What kind?" Logan asked her, turning to look at her with a smile. It was something, when they were kids, she had always asked him to do whenever she couldn't get to sleep. _

_"Something with a happy ending." She always asked for a happy story, too. And every time it came out of her mouth, he would feel weird. Like now. He felt an odd shiver roll down his spine, but he couldn't place why._

"Well, I have a story about a little boy who moved away from his friends, not knowing that he'd ever see them again."

..

.

Logan didn't think he'd ever meet Dak Zevon if he hadn't moved to Los Angeles. He briefly met him while they were locked in an office in Rocque Records, but after they were freed, Dak quickly left, probably to safety. Logan couldn't blame him for that. And here he was, sitting in front of _the _Teen Icon.

And he was annoyed.

Not because he knew that someone as successful as Dak was helping him out, and he couldn't be more thankful for that. But, he and his friends were just getting their connection back, and thigns seemed to be looking up, and now there were joking around with him. Not that they weren't allowed to have other friends.

Logan glanced sideways at the table next to them where Patrick, Noah, Sydney, and Dak's sister, Lizzie were sharing a plate of onion rings. They were all talking animatedly with each other, talking over each other about Santa Monica pier or something like that. Logan made a note in the back of his mind to possibly bring up the idea to the two girls to hang out there.

"Well, I can't wait to start working with you guys," Dak said with a smile as he speared his chili cheese fries with his fork. "Riles and Rhubes have been keeping me updated with how well you've been doing."

"Good things I hope," Logan said, turning back to face Dak. The twin girls merely gave a shrug. But, it wasn't a normal two-shouldered shrug, but a Jackson famous one-shoulder shrug. It was an odd thing to see, but the more you got used to seeing it, the more it made them stand out.

Dak nodded as he chewed. "They always talk _you_ up anyway," he commented and winced when Riley and Rhuben kicked him under the table.

Logan couldn't help but smile, sitting up straighter in his seat. _So they really do want to be friends again._ But, it was still weird. If you did want to be friends again, why stretch things out for so many awkward months? Yes, he understood that their music was important to them, but he saw how the five of them had little play fights and stuff with each other when they were taking a break from working. Why not have that kind of fun all the time?

_Unless they aren't supposed to mix business with pleasure or something like that_, Logan thought as he reached for his glass of lemonade. _I mean, we're not even allowed to be at their dance studio or recording studio while they're working. But at the same time, they are more well known than we are. We have a lot to prove with our first album, but at the same time, they have even more to prove, trying to top what they've done before._

_So much for that. _Kendall thought to himself as he shook his head.

"Well, thank you for agreeing to help us out," Logan said as he swallowed his lemonade, giving him a brief smile and a nod of thanks. "We all really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me, I like helping people," Dak replied, waving his hand in the air. "Besides, even if I wanted to, I can't really back out now. I mean, I already signed the contract."

"You might change your mind knowing you have to work with us again," Riley commented, leaning back in her chair. She then tilted her head over towards Rhuben. "Although in _her _case—"

"I'd be willing to make an exception," Dak replied with a small laugh.

"Oh, belt up," Rhuben dryly replied, her accent filling her voice. She then gave Dak a pointed look. "It's not like you have a chance in hell anyway."

"Don't knock it, sis, I mean, he _does _'take it to the hoop every chance he gets'," Riley said with a grin, taking a large bite out of her pickle. Dak gave Rhuben a pointed look and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"I think I kind of heard about you guys working together at some point?" Logan asked. He was feeling left out of their conversation, and at this point was starting to feel really bad that he hadn't recognized his friends as being in a popular band. But, he didn't really want to admit to them that he, in some part, had actually forgotten about them.

"Yeah, for a little while now. Let's see, maybe around three years? Three and a half before you guys came out here," Dak replied, resting his arms on the table. "As you know they moved from Texas to go to California when these two were around8 years old."

_Yeah, no kidding_, Logan thought, but gave a nod.

"They quickly got scouted by Ronan, and then went back to Australia to work on putting CDs out there until they were about 14 before wanting to try to work things out here," Dak continued with his explanation. "That's when I met them and agreed to help Ronan by working with them." He blinked. "Yeah, about three years as they had just turned 14, or around then." He smiled over at Rhuben. "Time well spent if you ask me." Rhuben's lips twitched and Riley rolled her eyes.

_And why aren't either of them telling me this_? Logan thought. But, he was surprised, he didn't know all of that happened. He looked at the two girls, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. _They seemed so much more open when they were kids. I guess they have changed…or they're just so focused with their music. But, I will get my friends back_.

"So, _are _you two dating?" Logan asked.

"Like I said, Logie, don't believe everything you read in magazines," Rhuben pointed out, waving a French fry in his face. She looked up when Noah taped her on the shoulder. "What's up?"

"We wanted to check out the new stuff at the skate shop if that's ok," Noah said before turning towards Logan, giving him a brief smile. "We have our phones and we'll look after Little Man." He then looked over at Dak. "Lizz, too."

"It's fine with me," Dak replied with a nod before turning towards the two girls. "I can pick up and drop off if you want."

"Uh," Riley looked over at Rhuben before locking eyes with Noah who gave a one-shoulder shrug as well. "Just let us know when you're on your way back. Thanks, DZ."

"Yep," Dak replied with a nod. Before looking over at Noah. "Tell Lizzie the same for me."

"Got it," Noah replied. He then lifted his hand, thumb and pinky finger sticking out. He shook his hand before turning on his heels, giving Logan a brief wave in greeting before heading back to their table.

Logan quickly realized that that was the most that he had ever heard Noah say since he had met the teenager. _But, he's always been shy, even as a kid. _He watched the younger group of friends headed off down the street together. _But, not that quiet._

Logan drummed the table with his fingers. "So, what do you guys have planned for us? Do you think we can make it?"

"There's something that we all learned while being out here," Dak said motioning to the two girls with his thumb before patting himself on the chest. "If you really want something, you figure out how to make it happen. _You _make it happen. And from what I can see, Kendall was the one that made the first big step, and you all stuck together. But, yes."

"We _know _you'll make it," Riley added. "You've got the best in the business standing behind you."

"And God knows we're not going to sit by and watch you crash and burn," Rhuben added. She looked like she wanted to say more, but again, she decided against it, reaching for her hamburger.

Logan couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Riles, are you awake?"

"I am now," Riley replied rolling over in her bed to face her sister. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and gave her sister a small glare. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, it's 1:30," Rhuben replied with a shrug, propping her head up with her hand, her elbow pressing into her pillow.

"And do you realize we have a photo shoot in the morning?" Riley rolled onto her back, letting out a heavy sigh as she ran her hands over her face.

"Please," Rhuben scoffed. "We've done a photo shoot after only 5 hours of sleep. I think you can handle this."

Riley clasped her hands behind her head, letting out a heavy sigh. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Well, aren't we cranky in the morning?" Rhuben rolled her eyes.

"Tell me or I'm going back to sleep," Riley threatened, letting out a loud yawn.

"Ok, ok," Rhuben made a face, pulling her blankets tightly around her body. "Why don't we just leave?"

"I'm not going back to Australia," Riley instantly replied, gritting her teeth. "I don't care what it takes, I'm staying here."

"That's not what I meant," Rhuben rolled her eyes. She bit her lip before continuing with her explanation. "Why don't we just pack up and leave dad? We'll be fine, we've been taking care of Patrick, Noah, and Sydney for all of our lives; I think we could do it by ourselves."

"Well, I can't say I haven't been thinking about it myself," Riley admitted. She let out a bitter laugh. "I've thought up of many plans that could get us out of here, but you know dad. He would do anything to find us and take us home. Then he'd most likely-"

"Kill us, yeah," Rhuben agreed. She then brightened, sitting up in her bed. "We could go live with Ronan."

"First place he'd look," Riley shook her head and Rhuben frowned. "I'll think of something and get back to you."

"Ok, I know that you're the 'undecided leader' and everything, but you don't have to do all of this by yourself," Rhuben said fighting the urge to roll her eyes. It annoyed her sometimes how she could be seen as "the second fiddle" to her sister. I mean, they were always referred to as "Riley and Rhuben" for a reason. They worked well as a team, and she was Riley's right hand man, but it was hard to be seen as her own person. At the same time, she knew that Riley was having the same frustrations as the two of them got older. "I'm only five minutes younger than you and Patrick and Noah are getting older—"

"And stupider," Riley finished, "or rather, Patrick is getting stupider. Noah's just gotten more quiet and Sydney's—"

"Had relapses more and more recently," Rhuben said and Riley silently nodded. "They're getting worse. I'm worried that—"

"Kendall and his merry band of Hockey Heads are going to find out with how much time we _have_ to spend with them?" Riley asked and Rhuben snorted, trying to keep her laughter quiet. "Yeah, I getcha. Can you believe how many hockey related things come up in conversation with that guy?"

"It does get pretty annoying," Rhuben agreed. "Logan's not any different though. That's good I guess."

"His statistics were annoying, even as a kid," Riley said, a fond smile coming to her face.

"Tell me about it," Rhuben replied. The two were silent for a moment. "You don't have to figure this out on your own, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Riley replied rolling back onto her other side so her back was facing her twin. "But, it's my job. I _am_ the oldest after all."

"Whatever."

_I _will _get us out of here and to a safe place_, Riley thought as she drifted off to sleep. _You'll see. We'll be one happy family in no time_.

* * *

**A/N: **The next three chapters are based around Carlos, Mrs. Knight, and Katie, and the next chapter is loosely based off of Big Time Demos. Hope you guys liked it!

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	19. Under Pressure: Carlos

**~19~**

Carlos was freaking out. Hell, he always freaked out whenever he had to go into Gustavo's office. He never knew whenever he was going to get yelled at. Well, they always got yelled at so he never knew what it was they were going to be yelled at for. And there could be a lot of things he was going to be yelled at for, but the bright side was that it was only a three hour chunk of his day where that would happen. But, those three hours were some of his most stressful.

Carlos hadn't quite figured out how to separate having fun and being serious in the studio. Or even how to combine it so that he was being serious while having fun. But, he was having a good time in Los Angeles, despite a few set backs. Mainly anytime they got yelled at, but mostly that he noticed the more songs they recorded, the more he noticed he didn't ever really sing on it. Sure, he did have the chorus and sometimes a verse, but he never started off a song, Kendall and James always did that.

Being a group, he didn't think Gustavo would single the two of them out. It sucked. He was happy for them, but it sucked. He knew he wasn't the best singer or the best dancer, but he worked hard, and he wanted to prove to Gustavo and to himself that he could do what his friends…his team…his _brothers _could do. At the same time, it was just the demos they were going through, they had a whole bunch of other songs to record so he knew he'd get his chance.

But, he was impatient. Just like he was impatient in knowing why he, Kendall, James, and Logan, and the Jacksons had been called into Gustavo's office at the end of rehearsal and studio work.

"Dogs. I have a very important assignment for you," Gustavo said, removing the sunglasses from his face.

"You want us to start making Youtube videos to show our fans more about ourselves and our lives?" Logan asked, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Uh, no," Gustavo replied. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Kendall cut him off.

"You want us to go onto a morning talk show and promote our band?" he asked.

"Uh, _no_—"

"You want us to—"

"NO!" Gustavo shouted, causing the boys to jump and look around with wide eyes. Gustavo growled under his breath as the door to the small office swung open and Robert and Ronan strolled inside. Robert gave them all a brief nod in greeting and Ronan gave them a smile and a "hey." Gustavo slowly turned in his seat to look at the two men. "I thought we'd agree you'd be here right as rehearsal was done."

"My fault," Ronan replied, lifting his hand into the air. "It took me a little while to find a parking spot. Dak will be here shortly."

"Gustavo, you should invest in a bigger parking lot," Robert commented, picking some lint off of his shirt.

"I know what else I could invest in," Gustavo muttered under his breath.

Carlos laughing quietly to himself. He didn't understand the rivalry between the two men. Well, he did, as the two men were working in the same industry, but the two bands' music were different. Big Time Rush was pop and dance, the DarkElements were pop-rock and…dance. A slight difference, but a difference nonetheless. But, he knew how hard Gustavo was working to get his career back on track, and it seemed like no matter what he was doing, Robert just had it easier.

And that sucked.

"You don't have a polite bone in your body, do you?" Robert asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gustavo let out a loud snort. "Not really, no." Riley and Rhuben started laughing, but quickly stopped when Robert let out a loud cough. Gustavo gave the two girls a surprised look. "I think I'm starting to like them," he muttered into Kelly's ear who rolled her eyes.

"Sorry I'm late," Dak said as he slipped into the room, sliding his car keys into his jeans pockets. "I had trouble finding a—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know all about the inadequate parking," Kelly said, putting her hands in the air stopping what was going to be an inevitable fight. "But, we've all called you in here for important business." She reached for her clipboard and unhooked what looked like brochures. "These are your tickets."

"Oh, hockey tickets?" Logan asked with a grin, snapping his fingers.

"Concert tickets," James said with a grin, before throwing a wink over to the DarkElements, more specifically to Riley and Rhuben. "To some awesome band that just so happens to be helping us out?"

"Flattery ain't going to get you anywhere, _mate_," Patrick commented as he glanced at James out of the corner of his eye. Noah looped his arm around Patrick's shoulders but didn't say anything. Sydney laughed quietly, moving closer to Noah, pressing into his side. Patrick caught Ronan's eye and his shoulders dropped slightly. "Besides, we only give concert tickets away to our friends."

"We are friends aren't we?" Carlos asked, exchanging glances with Logan, who had a frown on his face.

"What are these tickets for anyway, Kelly?" Ronan asked, raking his fingers through his hair.

"They're plane tickets," she replied, instantly catching everyone's attention. She saw the confused look on Big Time Rush's face. "You _do_ know that if your demos aren't selected by the record company, you have to fly back to Minnesota, right?"

"WHAT?!" Carlos, James, Logan, and Kendall shouted in unison, James and Carlos probably the loudest.

Seeing movement out of the corner of Carlos's eye, he turned and saw that Patrick and Sydney had their hands over their ears at the loud scream. Sydney made a whimpering sound as he looked up at his older brother, his bottom lip quivering. Patrick looked down at his brother and mussed his hair, and Sydney smiled a little bit, his dimples appearing in his cheeks. He laughed when Patrick stuck his fingers in his baby brother's dimples before the small boy silently lifted his arms over his head. Patrick put in his hands in Sydney's armpits and lifted him into the air before balancing him on his hip. Carlos looked back over at Logan and saw that his frown deepened.

"He's too old for that," Logan whispered.

"What?" Carlos asked him. Logan looked at the small boy, then over at Robert and Ronan, and then back at Carlos.

"Nothing, never mind," Logan replied with a shake of his head.

"Gustavo, we don't want to go back home," Kendall said, speaking up. Carlos felt himself nodding along with everyone else. He looked over at, who he thought he had been becoming friends with, and saw that they looked bored. Dak was silent, looking around the room as if noticing everything in there for the first time. "We want to stay here in LA and make music."

"And get famous," James added.

"If that's the only reason why you're out here making music, you might as well go home now," Robert commented and James's smile slowly faded. He swallowed loudly. "You shouldn't do something just to become famous."

"Dad," Riley hissed, shooting her dad an annoyed look.

"Yeah, about that," Gustavo said, glaring over in Robert's direction before facing the boys again. "TOO BAD!" Sydney made another whimpering sound, gripping tighter to Patrick's neck. "It's been three months. The demos are done, that's the deal."

"That's what we signed up for as well," Dak pointed out, scratching at a spot on the side of his face. He motioned between himself and Rhuben. "Our contracts are only valid if you continue past the three month mark. If you don't get chosen, then we're free to go back to what we were doing."

"Not like you'd need a contract to chase Rhubes around," Riley commented with a smirk and Patrick and Noah laughed. Rhuben rolled her eyes and Logan merely glanced in their direction. Carlos tried to hide the smile that worked its way onto his face.

"Wait, wait, so that's it?" Logan asked, turning to look over at Dak, Riley, and Rhuben.

"That's what we signed on for," Riley replied with a shrug. "We work with you for three months, or in Teen Icon's case, when his schedule allows, and if your demos are chosen, it extends for two years."

"This was all spelled out in your contracts, which, I'm assuming, you didn't read or this won't be a big surprise to you," Robert commented in a 'your loss' kind of way. "My kids are very busy people. So is Ronan—" Carlos noticed that Ronan made a face for a brief moment of time, "—and myself. We're all helping you out of the goodness of our hearts. This industry is tough, no one was going to give you a free ride with this."

"Look, _everyone_ who's starting out in this business goes through the test of demos," Ronan commented. Carlos shoved his hand into the air. Ronan hesitated for a moment before motioning towards him.

"What are demos again?" he asked.

Kelly slapped her forehead with her hand. "They're all the sample songs we've been recording?" she said as more of a question. Carlos slowly nodded as her words sunk in. "If the record label likes them you can stay here, make a full album, go on tour, and _then _you become famous."

"Not necessarily," Robert commented. "Your CD could still flop."

"_Dad_," Rhuben said loudly as Ronan rubbed his temples, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Mr. Jackson has a point," Dak said, glancing over at the older man before addressing Big Time Rush. "You could have your demos picked, make a whole CD, release it, and have it peak in the lower end of the Billboard list. Like Boyz in the Attic's last album." Gustavo made a grunting noise, putting his sunglasses back on. "If you don't make a statement with your debut album, no one's going to give you a second chance."

"Although, you could go the indie music route and still get a following," Rhuben suggested with a one-shoulder shrug, her hands on her hips. "You'd just fade away into oblivion and people will wonder if you're still relevant if they hear that you put out a second CD."

"That won't happen," Carlos said with a shake of his head. "I mean…it's _us_. If Gustavo didn't think we stood a chance, then why would he bother bringing us out here?"

"Something I ask myself every day," Gustavo said, in a low voice.

Carlos lifted a hand and raked it through his hair. He had always been enjoying his time in California, and in every session with the Jacksons he got warnings about working in the business. No, not warnings. It seemed like they were trying to drive them away. But not away from the business, away from _them. _He had a funny feeling about them, but he couldn't figure out what it was. But a part of him couldn't help but worry either. But he didn't know _why_ he was worrying.

He knew that the minute he signed onto and became a client of Rocque Records, one of the best recording studios in Los Angeles, big changes were in store for him. He just didn't think everything would go back to his life back in Minnesota and so quickly. And it sucked.

"Here's the thing, dogs, if they don't pick the demos, I go back to my dad's scooter business and you dogs go back to Minnesota and become nobodies again," Gustavo said and James let out one of his mini screams.

"But we've worked so hard," Kendall said, stumbling over his words slightly. "We've…we've come so close."

"You're not so close," Gustavo replied.

Logan blinked rapidly. "We're almost there?" he asked, sounding hopeful, his voice lifting at the end. Gustavo and Kelly slowly shook their heads back and forth.

"Halfway there?" Carlos asked with a cringe.

"You're _almost_ halfway there," Gustavo replied. "In the mean time, dogs, you have the next three weeks off."

"Hahaha, nice joke Gustavo," Carlos said, reaching out to clap Gustavon on the shoulder. "You kiddin' right?"

"I'm not joking," Gustavo replied, sounding serious. "Do anything you want. You're dismissed."

"How could they not pick us, though?" James asked. "Griffin _loves _us."

"Uh, _Griffin_, loves _all_ the bands with demos," Gustavo pointed out before lifting his hands into the air. He held up six fingers. "And there are _six_ of them. But, only _one_ gets picked."

"And he one that _everyone_ is talking about, is Vampirah," Kelly added with a brief roll of her eyes. "Vampire dudes with guitars."

"Well," Logan said, making a popping sound with his lips. "We're toast."

"Burned blacker than tar," Riley said, shaking her head back and forth in an 'I feel sorry for you' kind of way. But the look on her face showed that she didn't seem to care what happened to them at all.

Carlos frowned, catching the look. He thought they were making progress being friends with them. But, it was obvious that it wasn't happening a fast as he was hoping. He was having a good time working with them, and he often saw them let their guard down and actually _laugh_ at the things they said, but then the next time he saw the family, they were closed off again.

"Hey, hey, hey," Kendall said turning to face his friends. "What is the most important thing we've learned while living out here in LA?"

"That black is the new black," James said, tugging on his black t-shirt. He grinned over at the Jacksons, who all were wearing various articles of clothing in that specific color. "Am I right?"

"If you drink cold milk on a hot day you die?" Logan asked with a shrug.

"That every time you leave your house the toys come alive?" Carlos asked, earning strange looks from everyone. "Swear to God my stuffed bear wasn't in the last place I put it." His eyes widened slightly. "Not that I _have_ a stuffed bear or anything."

"That you don't _wait _for your dreams to happen," Kendall said, making a face at his friends. "That you _make _them happen."

"I guess that's what you were telling me the other day, right?" Logan asked, turning towards Dak, Riley, and Rhuben. Dak nodded and Riley and Rhuben exchanged glances before doing the same.

"Now that we've got that figured out," Kendall said, turning towards Gustavo. "How do they pick the winning demo?"

"That is a top secret that NO ONE WILL TELL ME AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY," Gustavo shouted.

"We want this as badly as you do," Kelly commented with a sigh. "All we know is that the demos are chosen by a top secret advisor close to Griffin."

"_Exactly. _Now, I'm going to go to my office," Gustavo said. "Please do not follow me like the dogs you are. I want to talk to _you_—" he pointed over at Ronan who nodded, "and _you_." Robert arched an eyebrow but gave a brief nod as well.

"But…but," Kendall repeated, watching as Gustavo, Kelly, Ronan, and Robert left the studio space to head to Gustavo's office.

"He sounds like a motorboat," Patrick commented and Riley and Rhuben started laughing. They instantly stopped laughing as Robert looked over in their direction.

"Aw, Hockey Pucks," Kendall said throwing his arms into the air. "This is unbelievable."

"I have some doughnuts for you out in my car," Ronan said to the Jacksons as he made his way over to the door. "Just be careful with the jelly filled one. I don't want to come back to my seat covered in goop again."

"That was his fault," Patrick said, pointing to Sydney.

"It wasn't me," Sydney said in a quiet, whining tone, as he grabbed Patrick's finger, forcing his hand down. "I didn't—it wasn't my fault. I didn't—didn't do it." Patrick sighed before turning towards Sydney crossing his eyes at him, sticking out his tongue. Sydney giggled, his smile returning as Patrick moved his brother onto his shoulders.

"We'll be careful," Riley said to Ronan and he nodded, making his way out of the room.

"So what are we going to do for three weeks?" Logan asked, running a hand over his face.

Carlos sighed. _Only three more weeks_ he thought with a heavy sigh. _Three weeks without dancing or singing._ His eyebrows twitched. _This might not be so bad after all_. "I vote for three weeks of fun," Carlos said, sticking his hand into the air.

"I _did_ want to see if I could find a hockey rink out here," Kendall said rubbing his chin.

"I could get caught up on homework and maybe even get a head start on the lesson plans coming up," Logan said, looking deep in thought. "Transferring twice probably won't be the best thing in the long run for our grades. We could fall behind."

"It's plenty of time to amp up my new look and to get some new headshots done," James said with a shrug. "And it's three weeks to try and get a date out of either of you two. I'm not picky."

"No, you're just incredibly self-centered," Riley replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Eh, sometimes," James replied, not even bother denying it. "So, what are you guys going to do for three weeks?"

"Work, school, work," Noah replied, speaking up for the first time.

"You said 'work' twice," Carlos pointed out.

"We do a lot of work," Patrick said and Noah nodded.

"Well, how does the whole home schooling thing work?" Logan asked.

"It's not a lot of fun," Rhuben replied brushing her long hair over to one side of her neck. "We're stuck in our house for four hours. For one hour, dad teaches Riley and me, the next hour is Patrick and Noah, and the third hour is Sydney. Once your lesson is done, you have to do homework or study or take tests and quizzes. Since we're working with you guys, and our grades dictate whether or not we can perform, we check in with Miss Collins and see if we're ahead, behind, or right along with you guys. Right after school we go to work and…deal with you."

"You don't sound like you like your dad all that much," James commented.

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't like your dad either if he pushed you as hard as he does them," Dak commented, taking a step forward, his arms crossed over his chest. "They've been a huge success with how much they work. They don't mix business with pleasure. It's a pretty nice combination, but one I think they should change."

"Don't hold your breath," Rhuben said rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Mr. Jackson's always intimidating, I don't think he knows how to be peaceful," Dak continued, a peaceful smile on his face. "But, you can't deny that he doesn't know how to get what he wants. He knows what he's doing in this business." He shrugged. "You get used to it, anyway."

"Your dad is really creepy," Kendall muttered.

"I think he scares me even more than Gustavo's threats," Carlos added.

Sydney chuckled, "Yeah, tell me about it. You don't have to live with it every day." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "He's just really into his business, that's all."

"As for what we're going to be doing for the next three weeks, I don't know about you, but I take life out in LA one step at a time," Dak commented, a hint of a smile on his face. "And this weekend they've got Santa Monica Pier up and running. We can all hang out there. Take the time to get to know each other more before we find out the verdict."

"Yeah, sounds cool to me," Kendall said with a nod. "We haven't really been out to see the town. We can bring Jo and Camille along as well. And Katie, too."

"Sounds like a plan," James said, turning towards Logan and Carlos.

"I'm in," Carlos said, rubbing his stomach, a wide smile on his face. "I want to see if corn dogs here can match up to what we've got back in Minnesota."

"I'm in," Logan agreed with a nod and a smile. "Sounds like a lot of fun." He looked over at Riley and Rhuben. "And now we have more time to hang out. I can catch up with all you guys."

"We'll have to check with our dad first," Riley said to Logan, sliding her hands into her back pockets. "We'll text you later."

Carlos couldn't help but notice that she didn't sound too into the idea.

* * *

Kendall's eyes flew open when he heard a loud crashing sound. He heard Logan mutter something from across the room as he rolled around in his bed. Kendall pulled his blankets up over his head as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Whatever James and Carlos did, I'll yell at them later," he commented in a tired voice.

"Mhm," Logan replied, burying his face into his pillow.

Kendall growled when he heard another loud bang, shortly followed by a short, high pitched blast, from a whistle. Seconds later, his own bedroom door burst open, causing him to jump in fright, before a loud whistle was blown.

"Come on, get up!"

He rubbed his eyes and blinked tiredly up at the black haired boy that stood in his room, spinning a whistle around his finger. Logan blinked repeatedly, staring at the black haired teenager, as if trying to figure out whether or not he's still dreaming. The boy clapped his hands together.

"Get up!" he repeated. "Come on, let's go! You're wasting day light. James and Carlos are already waiting."

"Noah—"

"Patrick," the boy immediately corrected him in a monotone.

"Right," Kendall replied, rubbing his eyes, finally getting a good look at the boy. He spotted the bleached hair and came to the conclusion that he was in fact talking to Patrick. "Sorry. What are you doing?"

"Yeah, it's only 6:30," Logan groaned, glancing at the clock. "Why are we up this early?"

"To train," Patrick replied simply, raising and lowering a shoulder in a one armed shrug.

"For what?" Kendall asked, wrapping his blankets tighter around himself. _If he doesn't leave now, I won't be held responsible for my actions_.

"To get in shape, now _come on_!" Patrick yanked the blankets from around Kendall with one sharp tug. "We've got a lot of work to do. First we're going to do some cardio, then we're heading down to the beach, and then to the dance studio." He smiled at the two boys. "Sounds like fun, yeah?"

"Sounds like torture," Logan replied, before squeezing his eyes shut when Patrick blew into the whistle again. "And would you keep it down?"

"Yeah, you'll wake up my mom and Katie," Kendall groaned, sitting up, running his fingers through his hair.

"We won't have to worry about it if you're dressed and out of here in five seconds," Riley commented, stepping into the room. She rolled her eyes when Logan and Kendall instinctively pulled their blankets up to cover themselves. She stalked over to Logan's bed and pulled the blankets off him as well. "It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before, mate. Now let's go, we've got a lot to do today!"

Logan lifted his hand and started to repeatedly jab at her cheek. An annoyed look crossed her face when he started pressing his finger into her cheek. "What are you doing?" She slapped his hand away, her upper lip curling.

"Where's the off switch?" he asked, his head bent, eyes closed.

"You guys said you wanted to be a successful band, right?" Riley asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're going to need to get into shape, and if you have to get up early to do that, then so be it. It's really not that bad, we do it every day."

"Besides, today is only a test to see how much shape you're in," Patrick added, resting an arm on her shoulder. "The better you do, the faster you get this over with."

"Move it or lose it, toots," Riley said, walking over to Kendall's bed, pulling his blankets off of his body, patting his cheek with her hand. "You wouldn't hesitate to train for hockey, would you?" She started clapping her hands. "Move! Move! Move!"

Kendall winced at each clap, setting his jaw. He slowly breathed in and out of his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut briefly, moving his hand up to rub that back of his neck. He peered up at her as she said, "you don't want to be called on _delay of game _do you?" He noticed the hint of aggression in her voice. "I thought you were called Big Time Rush for a reason."

"Alright, alright, we're up," Kendall said, slowly letting out a sigh, trying to calm himself down.

Soon, they were all standing in the lobby of the Palm Woods. James was the only one that looked even remotely awake. He was bouncing on his toes in anticipation, wondering what they were going to do for the day. Seeing as his dad was a body builder, he always went to the gym to work out with him, so he was excited to get back to work.

"Alright, everybody take a bike," Patrick called out as Riley flipped on the lights to the weight room. She closed the door behind her as Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan sat down on one of the bikes. Patrick moved to stand in front of Big Time Rush as Rhuben, Noah, and Sydney got on a treadmill and immediately started it up.

"They're not on bikes," Carlos whined, pointing over at Patrick's brothers and sisters.

"They don't need to be on bikes," Patrick replied, peering at him with her piercing blue eyes. Carlos's eyes widened slightly as he exchanged glances with Kendall, who shrugged.

"You're going to want to take off your helmet as well," Sydney stated, turning around so she was walking backwards on the treadmill, holding onto the handle bars. "You'll overheat quicker and pass out. The helmet will stop all the heat coming off of your body, keeping it around your head, making you heat up even more."

"The helmet would help break the fall, though," Patrick commented, smirking. "So, I'm going to have you guys do this bike for 20 minutes, the first 10 minutes, you can do it at your own pace. Then the second ten minutes, I want you to go as fast as you can but keep that pace." Patrick adjusted his t-shirt sleeves under his tanktop. "When I tell you, one at a time, I want you to sing the chorus to one of your songs."

They all gave him an odd look.

"Uh…Noah?" James asked, putting his hand into the air.

"Patrick," Riley automatically corrected him, moving her blue eyes in his direction as she ran.

"Right, sorry," James quickly apologized, flashing her a charming smile. Riley looked back at him before looking back at her treadmill, a hint of a smile on her face. "But, I don't get why we need to sing and do this at the same time? I mean, if you're testing us on our physical strength, let me show you what I can do on the bench press!"

"Yeah, I mean," Logan said, nodding in James's direction, "If we're pedaling the bike as fast as we can, we won't be taking in the maximum amount of air we need to be able to sing and project."

"_That's _the point," Patrick replied, lifting his hands to his hair to gently touch his spikes . "You need to build up your stamina. There will be times where you're going to be performing two, maybe three shows a week, and you're going to be dead tired. But, you're still going to have to perform anyway, and you can't let it affect your performance."

They all sighed before starting the machines. Soon the four of them were sweating and breathing heavily, heads down, eyes squeezed shut in pain. They understood the point that the Jacksons were trying to make as while they were still on their first ten minutes of easy biking, they were running on the treadmills with a speed of 8, singing at the top of their lungs, and even Sydney was keeping up with them.

Once it got down to them having to sing and bike at the same time, James was the only one that was the slightest bit successful. He was able to get through the chorus he chose fully, but still had to stop a few times to take in breaths of air, where as Kendall, Carlos, and Logan could barely get any words out.

"If you had to do a concert now, you'd fail miserably," Riley stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kendall felt a pang of annoyance. It was one thing to get yelled at by Gustavo day after day, but it was another to be yelled at by kids his own age. _Maybe all of this is harder than we thought._ He looked over at James's bright red face. _He seems to be doing fine. _

"We can easily fix that though," Patrick said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "I mean, every singer and dancer has a training regiment to keep them in shape. I can make you guys one. You just have to make sure you stick to it every day."

"And if we don't?" Kendall asked, looking like he was going to mutiny.

"Gustavo will turn you into shishkabobs," Rhuben spoke up, making a face. "It's like dance rehearsals, it'll show if you don't practice."

"Believe it or not, we're actually taking it easy on you today," Noah stated in his quiet voice and Sydney nodded. "And I know there doesn't seem a point to this because of the possibility that your demos won't be chosen, but it helps to be prepared, just in case."

"Somehow I doubt that," Logan groaned, constantly wiping at his face to get rid of the sweat. "You love seeing us in pain, don't you?"

"Think of it as conditioning for hockey season," Riley suggested, arching an eyebrow. "You did train for hockey season didn't you?"

"If by training you mean getting chased around by a bunch of girls, then yes," Carlos groaned although he started to laugh a little bit at the memory.

"Hey!" Riley suddenly snapped, getting everyone's attention. Her voice was loud, clear, and firm, keeping everyone's attention. "This is a lot of hard work. Y'all wouldn't even make it through _one song_ right now." She started pacing back and forth in front of Big Time Rush. "Us, and Gustavo, and Ronan and our dad, and Dak, we can make you guys the best there is, but we can only do as much as you give us." She stopped walking and looked each of the boys in the eye.

"So, it's not a game; it's what we are out there doing _every day_. It's what Beyoncé is doing before she even gets to rehearsal. There's no way she's singing and doing all of that—" she did a few quick dance moves and snapped her fingers for emphasis, "without doing stuff like _this_ first."

"That's why she has that tenacity," Rhuben spoke up. "And it's not only her, all artists out there are doing the same thing. And it's not during rehearsal where they get that dedication, it's in their lifestyle it's in their bones, it's in their guts." She looked over at Carlos when he put his hand in the air. "Yeah?"

"So, why do _you_ guys do it?" he asked, breathing heavily. His hair was matted to his forehead with sweat and he had ditched his helmet a long time ago. "Why do you sing and perform?" He exchanged glances with Kendall, Logan, and James as they all silently stared back at him.

"Because it's our job," Rhuben replied.

"And…because it's fun," Patrick replied, scratching his forehead. He gave a small smile, putting his hands on his hips. "There're people who think you've got Buckley's at doing what you want to do in life and it's cool to see the looks on their faces when you prove them wrong."

"Just do what we say and you'll come good," Noah added, scratching the side of his jaw. "We can all tell that you want this. You guys have got a passion for this, like we did when we started out. It's an admirable thing and it'll get you a lot of attention."

"Gustavo wouldn't have begged Kendall to come out here if he didn't think there was something," Sydney added, pulling up his shorts, playing with the drawstring at his waist. "He's just never going to admit it to you guys."

Carlos looked each of the Jacksons in the eye as he breathed deeply to catch his breath. _They're so serious all the time_. But, he was going to make it his personal mission to be their friend in the next three weeks. He was going to get them to open up. He was going to get them to have fun. And if he failed, well…that would suck.

_Don't let anyone hold you back from fulfilling your dreams. Why don't you worry about yourself instead? You're the only one who matters at the end of the day._

* * *

**A/N: **Next is chapters for Katie and Mrs. Knight and things pick up in the next chapter and in each one after that. I've got so many scenes and quotes already typed out for you guys and I can't wait to integrate them into upcoming chapters. I've been thinking of posting some sneek peak stuff to our twitter page. There'll be more flashbacks from Kendall in each chapter as well. Hope you guys liked this one.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	20. Under Pressure: Katie

**~20~**

Katie paced back and forth in the lobby of the Palm Woods, her thumbnail in her mouth, biting up and down on it, and not all the way through. Not like Kendall who barely had any fingernails left after a bout of bad nerves. She thought actually chewing her nails was gross, especially with the combined act of spitting them out. Living with four boys who always left their nail clippings on the table for days at a time quickly made her learn the art of keeping her finger nails shapely, whether or not she _liked_ to paint them. She looked down at her light pink fingernails. How times had changed.

"Hey, Katie." Katie looked up and gave a half smile to Camille and Jo as they made their way over to the smaller girl.

"Hey," Katie replied, sinking into an empty chair.

Jo and Camille sat across from her, crossing one leg over another. She watched as they brushed their hair over their shoulders, absentmindedly reaching up to touch her stick straight hair. She pulled it in front of her face, frowning at it, before looking over at their wavy hair.

"So, what'd you want to talk to us about?" Jo asked, giving the younger girl a smile.

"Um," Katie pressed her lips together, twirling her hair around her finger.

Who was she kidding? She couldn't even talk to her mom about it, why did she think she could talk to Jo or Camille? God knows she couldn't bring it up with her brother or his friends as they'd fly off the handle about it…or worse, they'd want to help her get ready for her date. If she was actually going on a date. She still hadn't figured that one out.

But, she couldn't wait to get to the Santa Monica Pier. She had always heard about it being a hotspot to go to with the famous Ferris Wheel , but never in her life did she think she'd actually get to go. _And _she was hanging out with some of the more popular musicians in the world, and she possibly had a date with them. And cue the cycle. The minute she would be excited about it, the minute she got nervous about it.

"Um…so, I was wondering," Katie commented, realizing that they were waiting for her to ask them her question. _Just get it over with, Katie._ She chewed on her bottom lip before letting out a heavy sigh. "Um, how do you know if, uh, you have a…date?"

Camille and Jo exchanged glances and Katie grinned. It was the exact look she knew that her mom was going to give her. It was the grin that showed how much the two of them possibly knew about her situation and was most likely going to make a big deal about it. And Katie _knew _that her mom was _really_ going to fly off the handle and say things like "My baby has her first date" and stuff like that. She shuddered. _Maybe this was a bad idea_.

"Do you think you have a date?" Jo asked, leaning forward in her seat, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I mean, what makes you unsure about it?"

"Well, I was Skyping Patrick and Noah the other day," Katie replied and stopped when she saw the look on Camille's face. "_What_?"

"Nothing, go on," Camille replied, waving her hand in the air.

"So yeah, I was talking to them and Patrick brought up how Lizzie wanted to go to the pier," Katie replied. As she went through her explanation, Jo and Camille kept exchanging glances and smiles with each other and that made her more uncomfortable and insecure about the whole situation, which in turn made her kind of hate herself for being that girly to being with. "So…what do you think? Is it a date or not?"

"It's really hard to tell," Jo admitted with a sigh, "I mean, Patrick seemed to have just been mentioning it."

"Yeah, it didn't really seem like he was asking you out," Camille added and Katie frowned, shifting her weight in her seat. "But, that's not to say it's not a date either. I mean…he _is _a guy."

_Not like I haven't noticed that_, Katie thought, finding the urge to roll her eyes. She was starting to think this was a mistake. If the two of them couldn't figure out, then who was going to? "How do I know if it is or not?" Katie asked. "I mean…I haven't really ever…_been_ on one." She started tapping the ground with her foot. "And I don't even know which of the two of them I'm going on a date with, if it is in fact a date."

"I'd assume Patrick since he was the one that brought up the double date idea," Jo commented, "but he could've been joking. I've only really talked to him for ten minutes, and if he wasn't quiet, he was making me laugh pretty easily." She gave a hint of a smile. "He's kind of cute, I guess."

"Don't let Kendall hear you say that," Camille commented with a small grin, elbowing Jo in the side. Katie rolled her eyes.

It was true; _everyone_ acted stupid whenever they were into someone. Jo thought she could actually ignore Kendall's advances by saying that she had a boyfriend, Kendall tripped all over himself trying to get in her good graces, and Camille and Logan were just _weird_. Camille slapped him every chance she got, kissing him too as part of an audition process, and Logan was…well, too nerdy to really figure it out.

Katie could only hope she didn't change whenever she liked someone, but looking down at her fingernails, and flicking her tongue out over flavored lip gloss, did she realize that she was already starting to change. But, she wondered if that were to happen at some point anyway; the girls in California were different, prettier. It must be something in the water, and she was starting to ingest it herself.

"Look, there are six ways to figure out if this is a date," Jo said, seeming to take control of the conversation. "1: Making a plan. There's a difference between hanging out and going on a date."

"_Exactly_," Camille said, snapping her fingers. "Hanging out is more of a spontaneous thing while a date is planned out with the time, where you're going to meet, stuff like that. If it's all done in advance, anyway."

"2: Compliments," Jo said, holding up two fingers. "If you spend so much time fussing over your makeup and clothes, the least they could do is comment on it." She gave a roll of her eyes, shaking her head. "If they compliment you right off the bat, it's a good thing."

"3: Chivalry," Camille said, jumping into the count. "A lot of people say chivalry is dead, and some women don't like it when guys do things for them, but I, for instance, like it. It shows that guys are considerate."

"What does that even mean?" Katie asked, making a face.

Katie was a tomboy and prided herself in knowing that she could do things for herself. It annoyed her whenever Kendall or the guys wanted to do things for her. A knuckle crack and a glare instantly set the right message. But, at the same time, she liked that they looked out for her, they could just lay it on a little too thick sometimes.

"Things like opening the door for you, or when guiding you they'll put their hand on the small of your back," Camille said, counting off on her fingers. "Letting you order first, stuff like that." She put her hand in the air before slapping it down onto the arm rest of her chair. "I can't tell you how many times a guy has ordered for me. I _hate_ it when they do that."

"Don't even get me started," Jo said with a shake of her head. "And then guys automatically think all you want is a salad? Please!" Her upper lip curled in disgust as she shook her head. Camille started laughing a little bit.

"4: Money," Camille said, as her laughter died down. "If he takes the initiative to pay for things—not everything if you put your foot down—but if he pays for things, it's most likely a date."

"5: Touch," Jo said. "If he has an excuse to touch you, like putting his hand on your shoulder, or if he touches your arm or something like that, it's a date."

"And six?" Katie asked.

Camille and Jo exchanged glances. "Ask him," the two of them said in unison.

Katie frowned. She didn't think she would be comfortable enough to ask him straight out. It was just a weird, and kind of desperate thing to do. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. She wanted to know if it was a date but she didn't want to actually ask him flat out, it was kind…pathetic to not know whether or not you're on a date.

_They just made this more complicated than they needed to_, Katie thought with a heavy sigh. _I should've just gone straight to mom with this. That'd be less complicated. _She raked her fingers through her hair and let out a heavy sigh. She _still_ didn't know if she had a date and the only way to find out was to actually go on the date. No pressure there.

"Thanks guys, that really helped," Katie said, drumming her fingers on the arm rests of her chair. "I think I get it now."

"Well we're going to the pier with Kendall and the guys tonight," Jo said, as she and Camille got to their feet. A pained expression quickly passed over her face. "Maybe we'll see you around…maybe bail you out if things go wrong."

Katie's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't even thought about things going badly. "Yeah, maybe," she replied. She gave the two of them a smile and a quick wave before making her way to the elevators.

"_So when are you and Kendall going to the movies?"_

_"Well, there's a movie playing on the beach, I was hoping we could check it out while we were out tonight._"

Katie let out a heavy sigh as she stepped into the elevators. It was so much easier for guys to get dates. All they had to do was make a fool out of themselves and girls thought it was cute. She wished things weren't so complicated. As soon as she was inside and she pressed the button to her floor, she crossed her arms over her chest, thinking. _Well. It might not be a date, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to dress up a little_.

The elevator _dinged_ and the doors slid open and Katie made her way to her apartment door. Swinging the door open, she stopped short, spotting Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan all lounging around the apartment in chairs and on the orange couch, half on and half off of it. They looked like they had melted into their positions.

"What's up?" she asked, making a face at them before making her way over the couch. She slapped James's thigh and he let out a shriek but moved to give her some space to sit. "You look depressed."

"There's nothing to do," James replied with a small pout. "I thought having three weeks away from Gustavo's constant screaming would be awesome, but I'm bored."

"I'm kind of starting to miss his screaming," Carlos said with a sigh. "In fact, right about now, he'd be screaming over something that I broke."

"A threat here, a taunt there," Logan continued.

"And I'd make it worse by talking back," Kendall concluded. Katie gave them all an odd look as they all let out sighs of sadness. "Now what are we going to do?"

"There's the pier tonight," Carlos said, brightening for a moment. "Which is only…six hours away."

Katie rolled her eyes. If they weren't complaining about going to the studio and getting yelled at by Gustavo, they'd be complaining about _not_ going to the studio and getting yelled at by Gustavo. There was no pleasing them. _At least they'll pay attention to me for once….great_.

"Hey, um, Kendall," Katie said, looking over at her brother, who was half on and half off the couch, his face to the floor.

"Yes, baby sister?" Kendall asked, his voice muffled.

"So, uh, how are your ribs?" she asked, cringing as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

"Better," Kendall replied, "now that Carlos is twenty feet away from me at a_ll times_." Carlos merely grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Remind me to, I don't know…_move_ the next time he wants to steamroll someone. I do have to admit though, it was a nice odd man rush by James and Carlos."

"Whatever," Katie said, rolling her eyes. _It's now or never, Katie, Just get it over with. _She let out a deep breath of air. "So, um, I kinda….need your advice on, um, something."

"Sure, Katie, what's up?" Logan asked, sitting up in his seat. "What's going on?"

"Well, so we're all going to the pier tonight," Katie said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "And, well, I don't really know if it's a…date or anything, but—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kendall said, pushing himself up onto the couch. He swung his legs to the floor and restedhis elbows on his knees. "You have a date? Like…a _date_-date?"

"I don't know, that's the problem," Katie replied, instantly regretting telling them that she had a date. James, Logan, and Carlos were sitting at attention, peering curiously at her. "You see—"

"Who asked you out?" Carlos interrupted her. "That's what I want o know."

"I want to know what you're going to wear," James commented and Kendall threw him a reproachful look. "I'm just saying. Her eye shadow isn't the best for her skin tone." Kendall continued to glare at him. "I mean...WHAT?! Who is this that you have a date with? That's not..." he trailed off, looking over at Kendall, giving him a questioning look. "Acceptable?"

Kendall continued to stare at him for a moment before shaking his head, turning back towards Katie. "Katie, let's talk about this, ok. I think you should've told me as soon as this happened." Katie opened her mouth to answer, but Kendall continued to talk. "Who could it be?" His eyes widened slightly. "Dak Zevon didn't ask you out, did he?" he asked and Katie's eyes widened in disbelief. "I mean, you _did_ save the guy from screaming fan girls. He could be paying attention to you because of—" he started snapping his fingers, "Logan, what's that thing called? You pay attention to people because they saved you?"

"Super Hero Syndrome?" Logan asked in a monotone.

"Yes, _that_," Kendall replied.

"Wait, a minute," Katie said, clearly stung. "You think the _only_ reason why someone would pay attention to me is because I _saved_ him from attacking girls?" She slowly got to her feet. She let out a weird laugh. "Oh, so then you're also saying that if I was with you guys when you soaked the girls field hockey team and I gave James a hockey helmet, that'd be the only way he'd like me?"

"Now, I didn't say-"

James blinked in surprise before relaxing into a grin. "I _always _knew you had a crush on me," he said with a knowing look, slowly nodding.

"No, I don't," Katie snapped and James put his hands up defensively, clearly not accepting her answer. She then turned back towards Kendall. "And for _your_ information, _Big Brother_, I could get a date with a guy anytime I wanted and _not _just because I _saved them_." She then turned and stomped towards the back hall to go to her room.

"Katie! Come back here!"

"No!" Katie snapped. She stopped when the front door opened and Mrs. Knight walked in. "Hey, mom. Where've you been?"

"Well, seeing as the boys have three weeks off, I thought I'd go to see how much buying in bulk would cost me," Mrs. Knight replied as she set her purse and car keys onto the table. "Robert wanted to give me some advice on how to manage family."

"Mom," Kendall said, getting to his feet. "Do you think he pushes his kids too hard?"

Mrs. Knight let out a sigh as she made her way over to the refrigerator. Katie exchanged glances with her brother when he didn't get an answer straight away. If Kendall asked her that question, she would say, 'yes' in a heartbeat. A lot of times when she would try and work up the courage to ask the two boys to hang out, or whenever they were hanging out together as a group, they had to leave abruptly because of their dad. Riley and Rhuben too from what the guys had said. If the girls were even a minute late to finishing up rehearsals or studio work that day, he'd come barging in, ushering them out.

But, Katie couldn't really blame him for being stressed out. It was a tough industry to try and break. And she knew first hand. No one wanted her to be a talent scout for them, despite her research on how well she could help their career (most of the info being made up, of course). She had big dreams for this town, and they weren't really coming true. She was happy that her brother and his friends were making their dreams come true, hell she was proud of him, not that she would admit it. But, it did get lonely around the apartment with no one to fill her time.

"Mama Knight?" Logan asked quietly.

Mrs. Knight pulled the carton of milk from the refrigerator and turned around to face them. "I haven't been around Robert and his kids to really know," she replied. Katie's eyes narrowed slightly. She was acting different for their mom. "I have to ask you two a question."

"Sure, mom," Kendall replied.

"Yeah, is everything ok?" Katie asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're kinda….distracted."

"Well, I know you both will be going with some friends to the pier tonight," Mrs. Knight replied, moving to get a glass. "I'm still not used to being in this apartment by myself—"

"Mama Knight, we'd love to have you join us at the pier tonight," Carlos interjected, giving her a wide smile. "It'll be fun. We haven't had a day out with all six of us since we got here. Right guys?" He looked over at Logan who started to whistle, James had a glare on his face as he slowly shook his head from side to side, and Kendall was looking everywhere than at Carlos. "Right?"

"That alright, Carlos, I don't want to ruin your fun," Mrs. Knight said with a small laugh. "No, no, what I was going to say was…Ronan McGuire invited me out to dinner." She looked back and forth between Kendall and Katie. "Is that ok?"

Katie felt her jaw drop. "You have a-a-"

"You have a date," Kendall said calmly.

"It's not a date," Mrs. Knight replied, giving Kendall a pointed look. "It's just dinner. Besides, we'll be meeting up with Kelly and Gustavo afterwards."

"And this 'not a date' is with Ronan," Kendall said, using his fingers to make air quotes around his words. "When is it?"

"Tonight, at seven," Mrs. Knight replied, "after I drop you guys off at the pier."

"Hmm," Kendall said, tapping his chin. "Mom, I know…that you don't exactly, or well you haven't really…uh—"

"Dated lately?" Mrs. Knight asked and Kendall nodded. "I told you Kendall, it's not a date." She lifted her glass of milk to her lips and drank some of it, licking the white mustache from her lips as she set the glass down. "Besides, I haven't gone on a date in years. Not after your father—" She stopped talking, tapping hr finger nails on her glass.

Katie looked over at Kendall and saw his jaw set. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, his fingers twitching. He slowly breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down before rubbing at the back of his neck. "Anyway, the point is that I'm not looking to date anybody right now, that's all. I'm getting to know him; he and Kelly and, I guess Gustavo, have helped me transition into this job and to life in Los Angeles, just like Dak and the Jacksons have been doing for you."

"Sounds fine, mom," Katie replied, giving her a smile.

But, Katie noticed the change in demeanor in Kendall. She had gotten over her dad leaving a while ago, for the most part anyway. When she saw other people with their dads, she did get jealous at time. But then she saw how Robert was always uptight and stressed with five kids and it didn't bother her as much.

Being out in California and with Kendall's career, who's to say that her dad wouldn't be the same way? He was always hard on Kendall when it came down to hockey, especially with last minute practices before the final championship game. She was sure all that hard work was what made Kendall so exhausted and burn out when it was game time.

"Hmmm," Kendall said, tapping his chin before giving a half smile. "You can go as long as he has you home by eleven." Mrs. Knight gave a small laugh before stepping forward to give Kendall a hug. He wagged a finger in her face. "And not a moment later, young lady."

"Yes, son," Mrs. Knight replied before turning to face Katie. "And Katie? How do you feel about it?"

Katie closed her mouth, peering back at her mom. She hadn't had a date for as long as she could remember. _So much for asking her for advice_, Katie thought with a small frown. _But, she has gone on more dates than you ever had and got married to boot. _"It's great, mom," Katie replied, putting a smile to her face. "You deserve to have friends out here like us. Have fun."

"I just wanted to let you know before I ultimately made a decision," Mrs. Knight replied with a smile. "Are you sure it's really ok?"

"Mrs. Knight, go on, have fun," Logan said with a smile, waving his hands. "Besides, women your age, if they don't have boyfriends at this time they usually wind up single for the rest of their life so—"

"Carlos," Kendall said with a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples.

"Got it," Carlos replied, patting his helmet twice. With a loud screech he jumped towards Logan, tackling him to the ground. James stepped out of the way just in time to avoid a collision.

"Thanks," Kendall said with a heavy sigh. "Mom, go out and have fun. Don't worry about us."

"Yeah, it's cool," Katie replied giving her a brief smile before turning around, heading into her room.

She glanced at the clock, letting out a heavy sigh when she saw that she had a while left until they would be heading down to the pier. She still had her hair to do, her makeup, and to shower, and check if her clothes looked ok, and to get rid of the nerves in her stomach. She rubbed her twisting stomach with her closed fist, making a face.

"Katie?"

"Yeah, mom?" Katie asked, turning around to face Mrs. Knight.

"I just wanted to see if it was really ok if I went to dinner with Ronan tonight," Mrs. Knight said as she closed the door to their room before sitting on the edge of the bed. "You didn't seem to be too ok with it."

"It's fine, mom, really," Katie replied with a smile. "I'm just kind of distracted." Her mom gave her a questioning look and she let out a sigh through her nose. "I think I have a date tonight, but I'm not really sure."

"Oh?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"Well, don't look _too _surprised," Katie commented with a frown and Mrs. Knight blinked. Katie let out a heavy sigh and started to pace. "Ok, look, I was Skyping Patrick the other day and Noah came on to talk too and then Lizzie texted them saying that she wanted to go to Santa Monica Pier, and they asked if I wanted to go and I said 'yes', and then Patrick said 'it could be a double date', and then they had to go so I don't know if I was asked out or not and if I was, I don't know which one of them I'm going on this date with." Katie managed to get all that one in one breath of air, talking faster and faster, getting more and more igh pitched as she was about to run out of air. She put a hand to her chest, breathing heavily. "So, yeah."

"I can see how you have trouble trying to figure that out," Mrs. Knight said with a small laugh. "The easiest thing is to clarify it with him. Ask him whether or not it's a date."

"I can't do that mom," Katie replied, shaking her head. "It's…like, social suicide."

Mrs. Knight arched an eyebrow, but raised her hands. "Ok, ok," she replied before patting the spot next to her on the bed. Katie sighed and sat own next to her. Mrs. Knight cupper her cheek with her hand, stroking her face with her thumb. "You're growing up so fast, Katie. You're really turning into a young woman that anyone could be proud of."

"So why does everyone still treat me like a baby?" Katie asked with a frown.

"Kendall's always going to look at you as his baby sister, Katie, but he'll see that you're growing up, it's just going to take some time," Mrs. Knight said with a small smile. "The other guys, too. We've all been changing while we've been out here. Don't take it too personally." She then clapped her hands together. "Now, why don't we get you ready for your maybe-date, that way if it's not, you can still make a lasting impression."

"Mom, we're not leaving for another five hours," Katie pointed out.

"Which gives us plenty of time," Mrs. Knight replied with a smile.

"Well, if you could start with my nerves, that'd be great," Katie replied, rubbing at her stomach for a second time. Mrs. Knight laughed, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

As soon as they got to the Santa Monica Pier, everyone broke off into two groups. Kendall, Carlos, James, Logan, Camille, Riley, Rhuben, and Dak went in one direction and Patrick, Noah, Lizzie, Sydney and Katie went in another.

Katie would've liked to have hung out as a large group for a little while, but she could see that Kendall had other things on his mind; Jo for one. It kind of hurt as she always used to be able to hang out with them, but she was just happy to know that she wasn't going to be by herself that night. And things did look a little better when Dak had talked to her for a little bit and even _winked _at her. Not that it was a big deal or anything.

But, now she was leaning over the railing of the world famous Santa Monica Pier, picking at some cotton candy from the stick in her hand. It had been a great evening so far, plenty of talking and laughing with Lizzie, Patrick, and Noah, and even having to watch Sydney wasn't too bad as she easily made a bond with him.

"Let's go to Pacific Park, and ride the West Coaster, like, thirty times," Lizzie said with a grin, her eyes flashing as she ate some funnel cake. She held the plate out to Noah who took a chunk, sticking it into her mouth. As usual, he hadn't said much, but did give his two cents here and there.

"And we can, like, chunder, like, _thirty times_," Patrick said in a high pitched valley girl voice as he pretended to twirl his hair around his finger. Noah and Sydney laughed as Lizzie shoved his shoulder. "I'm all for it."

"I'm going to stick with my cotton candy," Katie replied with a smile, licking her sticky lips, waving her cotton candy in the air. She peered at him. "What does 'chunder' mean?"

"Puke," Sydney instantly replied, reaching up his small fingers for some of Katie's cotton candy. Katie smiled, moving the stick closer to him. "I don't wanna ride."

"I'll stay with him," Katie commented as a hand moved to her stomach as it twisted tightly. "My stomach's starting to hurt." She gave a small smile. "Must be all the junk food."

"You sure?" Patrick asked, placing a hand on the small of her back. "We can all sit out until you're feeling better. Right guys?"

"_5: Touch. If he has an excuse to touch you, like putting his hand on your shoulder, or if he touches your arm or something like that, it's a date_."

She had noticed the four other signs as well. Once they got to the pier, her had waited until she was out of the car before closing it for her, he paid for their first round of funnel cake, he complimented how she had looked (to which she gave a silent thanks to her mom for the choice of outfit and helping her with her makeup), and now the touch. She had a very good idea that it was a date, but she was definitely not going to ask him about it.

"Yeah, girl, it's no problem," Lizzie replied with a smile and a wave of her hand. "Trust me, after the third time, the coaster doesn't sit well with my hair." She ran her fingers through her hair and Katie rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Sydney and I will be just fine," Katie replied, craning her neck to look around her. "Maybe we'll go play that balloon dart game and win a prize until you get back."

"I bet I can beat you," Sydney said with a grin, licking his fingers. "I'm really good at it."

"If you're sure," Noah replied, reaching out a hand to ruffle Sydney's hair. "Just keep a close eye on him."

"I promise, you have nothing to worry about," Katie replied, giving him a warm smile. But, on the inside, she was confused. _If this was a date, wouldn't he stay with me to make sure I was ok? _Sydney smiled his dimpled smile up at Katie before giving Noah a pleading look, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. Noah chuckled before looking over at Patrick.

"Alright," Patrick said, scratching the side of his jaw. "But, you've got Buckley's at beating him in the balloon darts."

Katie gave him a confused look. The longer she hung out with him, the more she realized that he used slang a lot, and the more she found that she couldn't figure out what it was that he was saying. When asked, he explained that his dad made him use his American accent as a way to relate to American fans. It was impressive to her that he could make it so convincing.

"I'll win, just you watch," Sydney said with a smile. "I'll be fine with Katie, don't worry." He behind Noah and started pushing him on his lower back. "The coaster is waiting, get going." Katie laughed as she watched Noah's knees buckle as he pretended to be too heavy to move, ignoring Sydney's laughs and screams of protest. "Move your butt!"

"Alright, alright," Patrick said with a laugh, grabbing Noah's arm, pulling him to a standing position. "Don't be hard on Katie, Little Man." He held out his fist for Sydney to bump before reaching for his wallet to give him some money.

"I won't," Sydney replied, his dimples deepening as his smile widened. He then grabbed Katie's hand and started pulling her over towards the game. "Come on, Katie, come on."

Katie laughed at his enthusiasm, but followed him over to the game…and got beat pretty easily. _Patrick wasn't kidding, he's good_. She watched him, jaw dropped, as he didn't seem to miss anytime he was playing. If she had thought about it, she would've used him to gamble some money out of people, sharing it with the small boy of course. But, what she noticed the most was how happy and carefree he seemed. It was a nice change in regards to seeing glimpses of how serious he got whenever he had to work.

"How's your stomach?" Sydney asked, turning to face her, looking a little bored with the game.

"Oh, it's, it hurts a little, but I'm ok," Katie replied. Sydney nodded taking another bite of cotton candy before holding the stick out to her. She shook her head, putting a hand to her stomach. She looked around for a moment. "Want to go down to the beach?"

"Yeah," Sydney said with a grin. He then reached his hand out towards her and Katie took his small hand in hers. "Let's go." Katie walked him towards the stairs and they carefully made their way down to the beach, making sure the sand on the stairs didn't cause their feet to slip. _Is this a date? I mean…you don't look after your friend's little brothers on a date._ She paused for a moment. _Are we even friends?_

"What are you thinking?" Sydney asked, suddenly. Katie looked at him and he shrugged. "You have this far away look," he smiled, "you get it a lot whenever you're waiting for Kendall to be done with rehearsals. Sometimes when you do homework. If you bring your computer with you you look at it as if you're watching a movie"

"Maybe because I'm watching a movie," Katie replied. Sydney laughed, swinging their hands back and forth.

"Is that how it works for you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Avoiding subjects? You aren't watching movies because you don't have headphones in."

Katie quickly thought of a lie (subtitles and headphones) but decided that there was no point. The boy was really perceptive. Almost so that it kind of freaked her out. "You didn't answer my question."

"I didn't?"

"No."

"I was just thinking about stuff," Katie replied.

"Mmm, placeholder," Sydney commented, but then he dropped the subject. He then looked up when he heard a popping sound and his smile returned. "Katie! Katie! Look!" He pointed towards the sky with his small finger. "Fireworks! Aren't they cool?"

"Yeah, really cool," Katie replied, watching as another screaming object shot into the air before exploding in a shower of sparks. "It's kind of silly…but they kind of remind me of flowers blooming."

"They look, um, they look like fire," Sydney replied. Katie looked down at him and he stared back up at her, blinking his blue eyes. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You have a good imagination," Katie said, reaching out to ruffle his hair. She stopped when he frowned and took a step back from her hand. Katie's eyes narrowed slightly as she brushed some of his hair away from his face, noticing the edge to a purple bruise on the side of his head. "What happened?"

"Um, I—I fell—fell down," Sydney replied with a small smile, his lips pressed together. "Yeah. We rough house—we play a lot. The doctors are getting tired of seeing us." He started to laugh and Katie joined him a little bit.

_"Kates-"_

_He stopped talking when the door opened and Sydney headed into the room. He ran and jumped onto the bed that sat across from the bed that Kendall was sitting on, and hummed to himself, kicking his legs in the air._

_"Alright, Mr. Jackson, I hope I don't have to see you here anytime soon," a doctor asked as he walked into the room seconds later, closing the door behind him. "Does your wrist hurt anymore?"_

_"Mmm mmm," the small boy shook his head from side to side, smiling. He lifted his arm when the doctor beckoned him to do so and sat still as the doctor wrapped Ace bandage around his wrist before pinning it securely. "And you can blame my brothers for me being here again."_

_"What happened this time, Sydney?" the doctor asked chuckling as he flexed the boy's wrist, gauging the look on his face for pain._

_"Slammed my wrist in a door, no big," Sydney shrugged, raising one side of his mouth into a smile. "We rough house a lot when daddy's not home."_

_"And how's your back?" the doctor raised his eyebrows. The boy twisted his upper half back and forth, giggling. "Good, I see. Alright, young man, you're free to go." _

There was another loud boom of fireworks and Sydney whimpered, pressing his face into Katie's side. Katie twisted her mouth to the side for a moment. Before squatting in front of the small boy, giving him a smile. "Hey. Do you wanna see something cool?" The little boy looked up at her, his face still pressed into Katie's side. He slowly nodded his head up and down. "Ok, come on." She took his hand and walked a few yards over to a little tide pool. When they reached the tide pool, Sydney sat down in he sand, peering over the rocks and into the smaller pools where small creatures were living.

"Starfish," Sydney said with a smile. "Look, Katie, starfish." He reached his hand into the pool and gently touched the creature. "Did you know that calling them 'starfish' is actually wrong? It really should be seastar. Same with jellyfish, they should actually be called seajelly." He lifted it out of the water, holding it out to her. "And while starfish have nervous systems that run through their arms and bodies, they don't actually contain blood." He looked up at Katie and gave a smile. "I like to read when I'm bored."

"You're very smart," Katie said with a smile, crouching down beside him.

"I know," Sydney replied with a smile. "And you're really pretty. But, if we're done pointing out the obvious about each other, you'd hear that Big Time Rush is playing on the radio."

Katie blinked at the sudden change in demeanor from the small boy but stopped what she was doing, listening. Stereos were lined up around the pier, blasting out music from the local radio station, sending music down the pier and the beach. She stood up, rubbing her back, which was suddenly achy.

It truly was _Big Time Rush _playing out loud. It was only a matter of time before they went gold or rested at number one. "They're famous!" Katie said with a grin.

"They're getting there anyway," Sydney said with a shrug. "But they have potential. It's only a matter of time before this single jumps up the charts."

"I don't understand," Katie said with a frown. "They have three weeks off for Griffin to decide whether or not to pick up the demos." Sydney looked like he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes and Katie felt her annoyance rise.

"Griffin's done things differently, but I've seen this with Boyz in the Attic and Boy Quake," he replied, wiping his wet hands on his jeans. "To choose whether or not they're bands' demos get picked, they give a song air time to see how the audience reacts to it." Sydney peered at her. "How old are you?"

"Almost 13, why?" Katie asked as Sydney pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Just wondering," Sydney replied, his thumbs flying over his cell phone. He lifted his head, looking at her. "They're waiting for us by the popcorn stand." He slid his phone back into his pocket, using his hand to brush his hair over his face.

Katie fell into step beside him, and the two of them headed back to the pier. Katie made a face as her stomach started to twist again. Once they spotted their friends, they saw Riley and Rhuben were with them. Lizzie was talking animatedly to the two girls. Riley was the first one that spotted her, looking her up and down for a moment, putting her hands on her hips.

"You ok?" Riley asked, nodding in her direction. Katie blushed when all eyes turned towards her.

"My stomach hurts really bad," Katie said after a moment of silence, after debating on not telling her anything. But then her lower back was starting to hurt more as well.

"Did you eat?" Rhuben asked, taking over the same tone as Riley.

"Yeah," Katie replied, hands to her stomach. She breathed in deeply through her nose. "I had a bunch of junk food."

"We all did," Patrick said to his sisters. "But, I feel fine."

"You have to be careful with this kind of food, it doesn't sit well with people if they eat a lot of it," Riley said, tapping her chin with her finger, briefly looking over at her twin brothers.

"I know," Katie said, screwing her face up as her stomach twisted again. "I should be okay tomorrow; I haven't thrown up or anything."

"Look, Dak and I were just about to take the kids home," Rhuben said, motioning to her brothers and Lizzie. "Why don't I take you, too? We could tell your mom. She's with Ronan, he'll understand."

"I don't want to impose," Katie replied. _Especially with Dak around. How embarrassing. Besides it's…it's probably just gas or something. Which…is even worse. _

"No worries," Rhuben replied, spinning her car keys around her finger. She turned towards Riley. "You're going to stick around for a while?"

"Yeah, I'll get Ronan to pick me up," Riley replied with a nod. "Or I'll take the bus. I'm just not ready to head home yet." She gave Rhuben a look Katie couldn't make out. "I want to check some things first." Rhuben's eyebrows twitched before nodding.

"Got it," Rhuben replied, before motioning for everyone to follow her. "Alright, let's head out. Dak's waiting."

Patrick tapped her on the arm. "You wanna hang out on Friday?" he asked.

Katie blinked and looked up at him. "You wanna hang out with me?" she asked, and then mentally kicked herself. She thought this was all a lost cause. But, maybe everything wasn't as bad as she had thought. She still wasn't sure if it was a date or not, but he wanted to hang out with her again.

"Yeah," Patrick replied before giving a half smile, looking over at Noah, who nodded. "We can go to the mall or something."

"Y'all can come over to my house, we just got a new pool table," Lizzie said with a smile. "It'll be fun and Katie hasn't been there yet."

"Yeah, cool," Katie replied with a nod. "Sounds awesome." She then looked over at Rhuben. "Do you mind if I got to the bathroom real quick?" Katie asked, making a face. Before she got an answer, she hurried off to the nearest restaurant, scurrying into the bathroom. She hurried into the bathroom stall and sat down, pulling down her pants and underwear, groaning when she saw a bright red splotch in her panties. "Great."

She hitched in her breath of air when she heard the door open and footsteps come towards the stall. Red and black Vans stopped in front of the stall and then there was a knocking sound. "You got your period, didn't you?" Riley's voice floated to Katie's ears.

Katie glared at the stall door. "Excuse me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She felt her cheeks burn.

"You seem moody," Riley clarified.

"Do I?" Katie asked, rolling his eyes, slightly annoyed.

"Well, it could also just be hormones," Riley replied and Katie could imagine her shrugging. "But, that really goes hand and hand with your period, so…" There was silence between the two girls for a moment. Riley's feet moved away from the door. There was a shuffling sound, a metal clanking sound and another shuffling sound as Riley walked back over. A white wad appeared under Katie's door. She bent over to take it. "First period?" Katie was silent. "It's alright you don't have to tell me. But, the cramps are going to suck the most for the first one. If you want a tip to avoid it, eat a lot of spinach the week before and drink a lot of water. It prevents bloating and cramps."

"What is this?" Katie asked, flipping the white pad around in her hands.

"It's a pad," Riley replied. "I figured you didn't want to use a tampon, so I got you this. It's a good idea to keep quarters on you, just in case." The stall door shook as Rile leaned up against it. "Anyway, wipe first, make sure you've got all the blood cleaned down there. And hand me your underwear if you have a stand."

"_What_?" Katie asked, blinking in alarm.

"I want to get the stain out before it sets and you can't get it washed," Riley replied. Katie paused for a moment before kicked off her shoes. She pulled her legs through her jeans and underwear before gingerly holding it out towards Riley's hand which appeared under the door stall. Katie sat on the toilet, one elbow on her knee, the other massaging her stomach before she started to wipe down there, wincing at the sight of the blood. "Take some advil or ibuprofen the minute you get home. It'll help with the cramps."

There was the sound of running water and the automatic soap dispenser going off a few times before the loud roar of the hand dryer was turned on. Riley reactivated the hand dryer a few times before she walked back to the stall, handing Katie her now dry and stain free underwear back. "So, how do I work this pad thing?" Katie asked, slipping her feet back through her underwear and into her pants.

"Pull the wrapping off and unfold it, there should be a strip of paper on the back," Riley explained. Katie did as she was told, finding the strip. "Pull the strip off and the back part is now sticky. Line it up in your underwear and fold the wings down to keep it in place." Katie sighed as she looked at the object in her underwear. "That's it. It'll feel weird at first, but you'll get used to it. No one will know you're wearing it, trust me."

"Whatever," Katie muttered pulling up her pants, flushing the toilet, noticing all the blood in the water. _This is just great. My first, sort of, date and I get my period_. She unlocked the stall, making her way over to the bathroom sink, head down. She ran the water and waved her hand underneath the soap dispenser. As she soaped up her hands, she looked up into the mirror, locking eyes with Riley as she waited, looking bored. "Thanks for, uh, staying to help."

"No worries," Riley replied as Katie moved to get some paper towel. She wasn't kidding though, it _did _feel weird. It was kind of rubbing against her legs and _ugh_. She didn't even want to think about how she was going to bring this up to her mom. So, in a way, she was happy that Riley was there to help. "You good? Rhubes is waiting."

"Yeah," Katie replied with a nod. "Yeah, I'm good." The two girls made their way out of the bathroom and Katie gave her a short wave before hurrying over to everyone that was waiting for her. Lizzie instantly looped her arm through Katie's.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Katie replied with a nod. "Thanks." Katie looked back over her shoulder just in time to see Riley disappearing into the crowd of people.

* * *

Riley kicked at a rock, watching as it bounced across the cracked sidewalk. She slid her hands into her jeans pockets, looking up at the darkening sky. She was almost at her destination, having walked for a while. More stars were popping out against the sky and a gentle breeze blew, pulling at her hair. She pulled a hand out of her pocket and brushed her hair behind her ear just as her phone buzzed.

**Patrick: **_You at Ronan's yet?_

**Riley: **_Almost. Ten minutes left._

**Patrick: **_Text when you get there. Find anything good?_

**Riley: **_I'll send pics once I get there._

**Patrick: **_Kk_

Riley slid her phone back into her pocket when she heard someone calling her name. Turning, she saw Kendall running up the street behind her. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as Kendall stopped by her, hands on knees, breathing heavily. "What are you doing here?" she asked, quickly noticing that her words had more bite than she really intended.

"Jo was meeting her father in town," Kendall said, a hand on his chest, "I took the bus with her while the guys headed back. I saw you...so I stopped." He then let out a breath of air. "So…what are you doing here?"

Riley arched an eyebrow at him before she continued walking. "Ronan's place is around here," she replied. Kendall hurried after before falling into step with her.

"So, why are you walking by yourself?" he asked. "Normally, you're with your brothers and sister."

"What's with all the questions?" Riley asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Do you want something?"

"Just to talk," Kendall replied with a shrug. "Get to know you more."

"Right, because that's not what you were trying to do all at the pier," Riley said with an eye roll. "You know, apart from impressing Jo who, by the way, reeled you in, hook, line, and sinker with the boyfriend thing."

"Clipping," Kendall commented, wincing slightly.

Riley pursed her lips. The hockey terms were getting on her nerves. If it wasn't one, it was another, constantly coming out of his mouth whenever he could fit it in. If it wasn't that, he was bothering her with the constant questions to her and Rhuben and Dak about their lives and their music and just about anything that came to their minds. She was cautious, she could tell that they wanted something, but couldn't figure it out.

"We just want to be friends," Kendall said with a shrug. "All this time working together and we don't really know you guys. It's work, work, work all the time. We have three weeks, we should have fun."

"Work is fun," Riley replied. "Not that you'd really know what work _is _considering how much time you're wasting with your antics at Rocque Records."

Kendall fell silent and Riley looked over at him. She was curious to see that he didn't seem to be offended at all. It was curious, she could toss out any snide remark and he took it all in stride. She hadn't met anyone that could do that. Until now. It was weird.

"We have three weeks, that's plenty of time to let you get used to us being around," Kendall finally said. "That is if you don't get tired of us."

Riley smirked. "You mean _apart_ from your constant hockey terms?" she asked. "That's a shock, I didn't think anything was so annoying."

"So you're a hockey fan," Kendall replied. "You play?"

Riley peered at him for a moment. _It's just spors. A safe topic. _"Baseball's my game, Sox all the way," she said, lazily punching the air with her fists. She motioned to her red and black clothes. "Three guesses as to which color and the first two don't count." Kendall chuckled. "Besides, Mighty Ducks are my team."

"So you just like to watch it," Kendall said, slowly nodding. "Been playing all my life, since I could walk. But, I went through it all. Little League of course, football, tennis. I was good at all of them, but I was never great."

"With your lack of coordination, whould've thunk it?" Riley shot back, referring to how hard it was for him to pick up dance steps in rehearsal. Kendall didn't reply to the comment, but shot her a smirk that could easily rival her own. Even more weird.

"To be Kevin Knight's kid, you had to be great," Kendall said as if she didn't say anything. "Which is why he drilled me when it came to hockey. I mean, I love the sport, and everybody told me I was amazing at it, which he loved, and I always wanted to go professional." He shrugged, his upper lip curling slightly. "But, I also wanted to have fun."

Riley made a noise in the back of her throat. "Wow, that sounds like some pressure," she said. _Pressure I know all too well_.

"Are you kidding?" Kendall asked with a shake of his head. "You don't know my dad."

"You don't know mine," Riley instantly replied. She suddenly stopped walking, tilting her head towards, the doors that they stood near. Kendall looked around, blinking in surprise when he realized that he was standing outside a tall condominium. "This is my stop." She peered at him before a pained expression crossed her face. "Thanks for…walking with me…I guess." She moved to shake his hand, then quickly dropped her arm down by her side, but Kendall grabbed her hand, turning her palm upwards.

"I knew it," he said with a small smile.

"What?" Riley asked, giving him a weird look, pulling her hand back from his grip.

"Callouses," Kendall replied, looking up at her. "I can spot them a mile away. I know you play guitar. But, you must play it as much as I do, barely taking a break, working and working it until you get everything perfectly. Much like everything else in life." He gave a shrug, holding out his hand. "I've got scars to prove it."

"Got to feel a little pain to feel accomplished, right?" Riley asked, feeling her lips twitch into a shadow of a smile. Then her face relaxed as she shifted her weight, jutting out her hip. "It's a good feeling."

"The best," Kendall said with a nod. "When I really get into music it's like everything else in the world doesn't matter."

"It's like my safe haven," Riley said, nodding in agreement. She knew what he was getting at. She had been in the industry for a long time and not a lot of people looked at music the same way after a while. Once it stopped being something you used to escape it all, then it became less fun. It was a job. Something you _had _to do. You'd become, in her eyes, a sellout. "Nothing there can hurt me."

"Safe haven?" Kendall asked, a curious look on his face.

_Damn it. Way to let that slip, Riles_, she thought, mentally beating herself up. Kendall was watching her, waiting for her to respond. Riley briefly glanced at him. _What's that look he's giving me_

"We can be ourselves around you," Riley slowly replied, choosing her words carefully. "We don't have to act like something we're not."

"I know that feeling," Kendall replied. He started rocking back and forth on his heels before giving her a hopeful grin. "So…we're friends now?"

"I didn't say that," Riley instantly deadpanned, her upper lip curling. "Being comfortable around someone and being friends with someone are two different things."

"Ok," Kendall replied with a nod. It was obvious he was not going to give up on this. "So can I walk you in?"

"Nope," Riley simply replied, turning on her heels to move through the revolving door. She threw the peace sign up over her shoulder. "See ya, Kendork." She pushed through the revolving doors just as the elevator across the lobby let out a soft _ding_ and the doors slid open. She greeted Ronan with a smile, walking over to him to give him a hug. "Sorry for dropping in."

"It's no problem at all," Ronan replied with a smile. "You know my place is always open for you guys. How was the pier?"

"Good," Riley replied, glancing over her shoulders as she stepped into the elevator. Kendall was gone.

* * *

**A/N: **Phew. Longest chapter so far, but I really enjoyed writing this one. Katie is one of my favorite characters to expand her personality and stuff. I hope you were able to see the difference with Sydney when he was "5" and when he was his normal self. One more "Under Pressure" chapter to go, centered around Mrs. Knight.

I have a Noah/Stephanie one-shot called _Make Me Speak_ coming up soon and I'll be starting my short fic _(New) Kids in America_ fic soon as well. That one, since it's only 10 chapters long (maybe 8) won't be updated as quickly as my other fics. That fic shows a background to how Dak and Lizzie became friends with the Jacksons. After I'm done with the 10 chapters, I'm thinking of leaving it open as one-shot collection for them for Riley to use as well.

I also have a new fic coming up called Lifeline (alternate title is Jumping Rooftops). It's insired by 7th Heaven episodes 1-8 of Season 5, and it's a Rhuben-Centric fic. But, I'm going to be handwriting it first. The Logan/Rhuben, James/Rhuben, or Dak/Rhuben pairing could work for this, but I wanted to know which one you guys wanted. It might go in the Misc. TV Show section but that really depends on how I write it, as while it's a Rhuben-centric fic, it also focuses on the BTR guy I pair her with. Haven't decided on friendship or romance fic, though. But, this won't be done until I'm more into my new Lolla fic for **Rage-Against-Time**.

We still take requests. Just be sure to read our "Request Police" (link in our profile) before submitting a request. If you just want to give us ideas for a fic, but not necessarily as a request, we take those too. Keep checking our tumblr and twitter (links in our profile) for things that we have coming up. We also like to talk to you guys and answer questions so feel free to ask us anything on either of those two web pages. Or through PMs.

Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	21. Under Pressure: Mrs Knight

**~21~**

Kacy stared at her phone as it rang for the third time. And once again, she merely stared down as the name for her ex-husband popped up on the illuminated screen. She didn't reject the call and she didn't answer it. She just stared at her phone. A part of her wanted to know why he was suddenly calling out of the blue (maybe to finally apologize?) and the other part of her knew that she had to be strong and let it go unanswered.

People often wondered why she still had his phone number in her cell phone if she was over him. And she _was _over him. Completely. But, there was that teeny tiny part of her that wanted things to work out between them. He was her first true love, they were married for crying out loud. And with his jarring departure, all she wanted was an apology. But if asked, of course she's over him.

She crossed one leg over the other as she slid her phone into her purse before looking out over the restaurant. It wasn't upscale or anything like that, but it was comforting. Something she hadn't really felt since moving out to Los Angeles. She still felt to be tripping over herself, trying to find her place in California.

But, getting ready for the dinner, which she insisted wasn't a date, made her remember what it was like to go out on dates, the feeling of excitement, and making sure everything was perfect. But, this _wasn't_ a date. Yes, she instantly felt comfortable around Ronan and he made her feel like they were old friends, reuniting after a few years apart. But, they were just friends. That was easier for her to say than her daughter, but she was happy to have this time to spend with Katie and to bond a little.

_Katie tapped her chin with her fingers, tilting her head to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched her mom apply lipstick in the mirror of their room. "What are you going to do with your hair?"_

_"I thought I'd just put it back in a p-" _

_"Mom!" Katie interrupted her, putting her hands up, eyes widening. "Don't you dare say ponytail." Kacy looked at her daughter's reflection in the mirror, and watched in amusement as Katie grasped a chunk of her stick straight hair. "I don't even wear ponytails anymore." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, your hair is one of your best features! You need to leave it down!"_

_Kacy chuckled, before raising her eyebrows and saying in a joking tone, What if it's windy? I don't want to be whipping him in the face with it." Katie rolled her eyes a second time, but laughed a little bit. "Down is not a problem; it's just a little humid outside, that's all." She then turned in her chair, facing her daughter. "How are you so good at this?"_

_Katie shrugged. "It's easy when it's not me_," _she replied._

That made Kacy wonder if she was really doing a great job as a parent. Katie had always been at tomboy, following her son and friends around, doing whatever they did, and he let them. It was no doubt that Kendall and Katie were always close, but got even clos_er _after their father had left them. Kacy could even joke that Kendall was the one to raise Katie while she was out all day working at the diner, trying to bring in money.

It wasn't until they came to Los Angeles, that she had started to notice how insecure Katie was about things; especially when it came to boys and dating, as their conversation that night had dictated. Her kids were really growing up, and she knew that one day they wouldn't need her as much, but she was happy to be in the line of business where she could still be around to help out.

"Hi, Kace," said Ronan's smooth voice, knocking Kacy out of her deep thoughts as he carefully slid into the empty seat in front of her. "Sorry, I was just making sure my kids got to the pier safely."

Kacy couldn't help but smile. There was something about him that made him seem like a grown boy; someone you couldn't help but laugh and smile at. But, it also warmed her heart to always hear him refer to his clients as his "kids". It was something she had noticed since she had met him, but she wasn't sure if he realized he referred to them that way because he had known them for so long or because of his wanting to adopt them if things with Robert went in the way that he wanted.

"You look really nice," he said, giving her a smile.

"Thank you," Kacy replied, "so do you."

"I'm sorry if this place isn't up to what you were expecting," Ronan said with a somewhat, sheepish grin. He waved his hands in the air, motioning around the restaurant. "After this week, I just needed something a little more laid back."

"Laid back is perfectly fine," Kacy replied, waving her hand in the air. "I've never really been into dressing up to spend a night out. You know, unless it's for anniversaries or anything." She scratched at a spot behind her ear, pressing her lips together. Leave it to her to bring up something as intimate as an anniversary. But, Ronan didn't seem to bothered by it. In fact, he never seemed to be bothered by a lot of things. And that's what she found fascinating about him.

How someone who lived a life of hustle and bustle working with a group of five kids who, at this age would be running around trying to have fun with anything and everything they did, and still be laid back about a lot of things. She could easily see that it was just who he is, but she didn't know how he could do it. Even her head started to spin when she was getting questions left and right about how she planned on managing Big Time Rush, what she wanted their overall goal to be coupled with finding hockey jerseys and skates, and helping with school work. She didn't know how he was going to handle being a dad.

She couldn't deny that he was handsome, and he did deserve his spot on the 50 Most Handsome Men (which she only found by Googling him). Anybody could see that. But she wondered if someone who was so used to living the bachelor's life, never really having a steady girlfriend (again, what she found through Google, although there was little to no information on this) could really handle that life altering moment. Then again, there were so many things that had changed her life and she turned out fine, raising two kids alone (five if she counted Kendall's friends). She wasn't one to judge, but this was just something that was peculiar to her since he had brought up the idea to her.

"I don't want to be too forward with this, but if there's anything you're not going to finish, I'm taking my leftovers home to give to Riley and them," he commented as he reached for the menu beside his arm. "They've basically eaten me out of my own place and I don't have a lot of time in the next couple of days to go shopping."

Kacy chuckled slightly. "It's no problem," she replied.

Although, a thought nagged at her; if there was something sinister to his request? Not from him, but from what was going on in his "kids" home. From her brief encounter with Riley, she wasn't sure if she could get a grasp on his worries, but she was hoping there would be some more time to get to know them. Not just for Ronan, but because she wanted to get to know them for herself as well. _They are at this age where all they do is eat. They're growing kids, after all. _

But, there were some cases that she could remember where she would come home late for work and Kevin wouldn't have fed their kids. Punishment for something, according to him. It was those cases where she had never really seen her kids eat so much so fast.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask," Kacy commented, gaining Ronan's attention. He looked up at her over the top of his menu. "Did you ask me to meet you here to discuss things with the Jacksons?"

"Partially," Ronan replied with a nod before giving her a smile, his eyebrows twitching. "But, I seem to remember that you needed to pay me back for giving you a car."

"I still can't believe you did that for me," Kacy replied, shaking her head as she reached for her own menu. "You don't even know me."

"I know you're a good person," Ronan replied with a shrug. Kacy briefly glanced at her over her menu. "Not a lot of mothers would take their two kids, and their three friends, out to Los Angeles and watch over all of them while they try and make it into the music business. _And _agree to be their manager."

"I've always taught my kids to go for their dreams," Kacy said with a shrug. "Who would I be to stop them?" Her eyes scanned over the menu and she quickly decided on a hamburger and fries.

She got a lot of compliments about making a big move out to Los Angeles, and she graciously accepted every one. But, she also wanted to protect them. She gave her kids and their friends space and advice whenever they had came looking for it, but she always had a watchful eye on them. Some would call her paranoid, but she wasn't going to give anyone or anything the opportunity to hurt her kids in any way, shape or form. Not again.

"If you don't mind my asking," Ronan commented and Kacy set down her menu. "But, when did you realize that things weren't the same in our marriage?"

"Oh," Kacy commented, her eyes widening slightly. Her fingers immediately went to her hand to twist her ring, her nervous habit. She realized quickly that her ring wasn't there, and quickly faked the movement by scratching at her wrist. She hadn't worn her wedding ring for years, but still had the notion to use it as a security blanket.

"Never mind, you don't have to talk about it," Ronan said with a shake of his head as the waiter came over. The two of them gave their drink and food orders and then the two of them sat in silence. It was weird silence, but it was also kind of comfortable at the same time.

_There's that word again. How is it that he can warm up to just about anybody? _Kacy thought to herself, tilting her head slightly as she looked over at the younger man. Then it hit her. _He must be like that to try and get the Jacksons to open up to him._

"Their father, Kevin, surprise me with divorce papers a little while after he had moved out," Kacy suddenly said. Ronan's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything. "It was a shock when I received them. I thought he had dropped off the face of the earth, I heard _nothing _about him or from him." She raked her fingers through her hair. "I haven't signed them yet...I just can't. We're just separated now, but Kendall knows that we wouldn't have enough money to pay for a divorce. I think that's why Kevin has been patient about that as well."

And that was why Kendall had gotten his job at the local supermarket back in St. Paul. He had found the divorce papers and the bill for the legal fees one day when he was playing hide and seek with Katie. She had gotten mad at Kendall and told him not to snoop, but at the same time it was her own fault for not having hidden them in a better place. And as soon as he was old enough, Kendall went out to look for a job. She tried talking him out of it, saying that everything was ok, but she knew she wasn't ever going to change his mind. She and Kendall were a lot a like; once they set their minds to something, it was hard for them to change it. And she was grateful that he was stepping up and helping out around the house, she just wished it was under better circumstances.

"I don't regret it," she commented, and Ronan gave her a questioning look, "I mean…I wish everything had worked out better, or I wish I noticed things earlier, but as long as my kids are happy, then I'm happy." She unfolded her napkin, setting it in her lap. "I'm glad all of that is over and I can say that I doubt this would've ever happened if I was till married. But, I think going through it made me really look at myself and learn who I am."

"I can understand that," Ronan commented, folding his hands together onto the table. "And I admire you for it." He chewed on his bottom lip for a brief moment. "Hearing what you've gone through, it makes me wonder if I'm really ready for what I want to do."

"Are you having second thoughts about wanting to become a foster parent for the Jacksons?" Kacy asked, her eyebrows narrowing slightly. "From what I've seen, you're a natural around them."

Ronan let out a bark of laughter, "yeah, I am, _now_," he replied. "Riley and Rhubes hated my guts when I first met them. They wouldn't tell me _anything_ even if I was asking them a simple question like; what's your favorite color?" He laughed a little bit. "In hindsight, it _was _a pretty stupid question as they had always worn red and purple, but I wanted to break the ice with them, you know? They were all pretty hard to get to know, but the boys opened up faster then the girls. But, the two of them have been taking care of the little ones for a long while so I think they were just seeing what I was all about. Now I can't get them to shut up."

Kacy laughed out loud. "They really do seem to respect you," she commented, "but aren't you worried that they'll find out what you're doing?"

"Have you and Gustavo and Kelly keep an eye on them?" Ronan asked, arching an eyebrow and Kacy nodded. "Nah. I've been yelled at by them before, but it's pretty easy to handle them once you figure out how to handle them." He leaned back slightly as two waiters came over to their table, one with their drinks, the other with their orders.

"Thank you," Kacy said with a warm smile to the waiters before reaching for a French fry. "So, how do you handle them?"

"Well, first off, if they want space, it's best to give them space," Ronan commented, "sooner or later, they'll come back to you and apologize. Happens all the time. I think they really hate disappointing people."

Silence fell over the two of them as the words sunk it. Kacy could attest to that, she had seen it many times. Kendall and Katie both adored their father and hated it when they disappointed him and now they hated it when they disappointed _her _even thought that came few and far between. But, it really came to a head the night that Kendall had lost the big hockey game. Kevin was so disappointed, he barely said anything, and when he did, it was always a condescending remark directed towards whoever it was that in the room.

But, it was really Kevin's fault for Kendall's loss, making Kendall work so hard, squeezing in an extra, late night practices the night before a game, even having his son call him "Coach" when he was off the ice. Everyone could see that he was exhausted when he went to play the game that morning. There were whispers, and finger pointing, and concerned glances thrown his way _and _hers once the game started and Kevin started barking orders from his side of the plexi glass. Not that it was a new thing. On more than one occasion, he was asked to leave from officials that were watching over the game. But, Kendall continued to do everything his father shouted at him.

_That must be why he talks back to Gustavo_, Kacy thought, as she reached for her glass of tea. At her latest meeting, she had gotten an earful from Gustavo about her son always talking back to him and trying to put his foot down about things that he didn't want to do. It was all starting to come together. Kendall had definitely been affected by his childhood, but it wasn't starting to appear until now.

But, he was still the respectable and loyal and handsome young man she had raised him to be and she couldn't be even more proud. She knew that one day he would come to her and talk to her about it, but in the mean time, she was taking note of his behavior. Maybe the way he acted would show up in the Jacksons and she could use it to help Ronan out.

_You could also help Ronan if you just told him about Kevin_, she thought, glancing over at the man in front of her as he took a bite of his burger before reaching for the container of ketchup. But, that wasn't anything that she could just blurt out to him, but she knew it would help. Sure, Ronan had explained to her that he had looked up signs of child abuse, but she had seen first hand how it could be, and how it affected everyone. She knew it would be a step up.

However, she was starting to get some new fame with moving out to Los Angeles. Already, she was getting some interviews lined up for the boys with the hope that their demos were chosen so they could continue on. And even _she _was being offered interviews once they had found out that not only was she the mother of one of the boys, but she was also managing their band. It was all knew to her.

Even in her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, no one really knew what had happened with her marriage and why she got a divorce despite it being a small town. And she knew the question of Kendall's father would come up. The media were hounds and she didn't want anyone digging into her background. She knew that Ronan wouldn't say anything, but she didn't trust him entirely to tell him, all the same.

"It makes sense," she said quietly and Ronan silently nodded, a frown on his face. "Ronan, if you really care about them, then I don't think anything should hold you back from wanting to give them a good, safe, life."

"I just want to be sure," Ronan replied, pulling the bun off of his burger to pick of the pickles before squirting ketchup onto his burger before nearly drowning his French fries with it. "It's a big risk I'm taking. I mean, I could be wrong, but I don't think I am." He picked up his burger in his hands and took a bite, making sure to chew and swallow it before talking again.

Kacy couldn't help but notice the movement. After a while, Kevin had started to lose his table manners. She shook her head, trying to get the thought out. She had no reason to be comparing the two of them. But, couldn't deny, it was nice to be in the company of a man who had table manners and was generally nice to be around. She could easily see that Ronan could be one of her good friends out in LA if she were to stay. He seemed to really want things to work out of her and her kids, and she didn't see that a lot with people. Then again, she hadn't really tried to make friends all that much.

"If you don't think you're wrong, if it's a gut feeling, don't ignore it," Kacy said before taking a bite of her burger. She put her hand over her mouth as she chewed and said, "Robert is…pretty intense. You saw him at the meeting, he always seemed to be bringing thigns back to his kids, their careers, making sure everything would work in their favor."

"Intense is a good word to describe him," Ronan said with a nod, licking ketchup off of his thumb. "He's always been that way, ever since I met him." He let out a heavy sigh. "He can be _too _intense sometimes."

"Why do you put up with it?" Kacy asked. She answered for him before he even opened his mouth, "for your kids." Ronan nodded. "Do you know you always refer to them as that? Your kids?"

Ronan blinked in surprise. "I do?" he asked, seeming to actually be really shocked. He relaxed into a grin. "I didn't realize. Maybe that's a sign, huh?"

"Maybe," Kacy replied with a shrug. "I'll continue to keep an eye out, but I haven't seen anything alarming. When they were over at the Palm Woods for dinner, like I said, they were well behaved, but they seemed closed off. I saw Riley the other day as well, she seemed a little annoyed that I got her name wrong, but when I told her that I wanted to get it right, she seemed to relax a little."

"It's just the fact that you're trying is what matters to her," Ronan explained to her and Kacy nodding in understanding. "Just keep being yourself and before long, they'll be more accepting of you. Kace, I really appreciate you doing this for me." Kacy stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "You just called me Kace. I haven't been called that in a long while, that's all." An apologetic look crossed his face. "Don't apologize. It's really ok."

The two of them continued their dinner eating in silence until either of them brought up a topic of conversation that had them going for a while, their childhood, his career, her life back in Minnesota, and a whole bunch of other topics as they continued their dinner before paying and making their way to Java Joe's to meet up with Gustavo and Kelly.

"Hey, you two," Greg greeted the two o them as they stepped through the doors. "I serve friends, now I serve youse. What you have?" He reached into his apron for his pad of paper and his pen.

"Just some hazelnut coffee for me, please," Ronan said, clapping Greg on the shoulder.

And little lady, what you have?" Greg asked, giving her a smile.

"Oh, nothing for me, thanks," Kacy replied. Greg looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Ahh, you on date, yes?" he asked. "Lovely, lovely."

"Ah, no, Greg, we're just friends," Ronan replied with an easy going smile. Kacy couldn't help but smile a little bit. "We're just taking the time to get to know each other a little more."

"I see, I see," Greg replied with a nod. "Well, that lovely, too. Hey, Ronan, want me to get some muffins for the kiddies? Just out of oven."

"I'm going to have to decline, Greg, but I thank you for the offer," Ronan replied with a shake of his head. He then side stepped Greg and made his way through the crowded tables and over to where Kelly and Gustavo were sitting.

"Well, it's about time," Gustavo commented in his usual, loud voice.

"Inside voice, Gustavo," Kelly said, rubbing at her temples with her fingers.

"I _am_ using my inside voice," Gustavo replied. "Sit McGuire." He then turned his head towards Kacy and nodded at the empty seat and then said through clenched teeth, "won't you _please_ join us?"

Kacy exchanged an amused glance with Kelly before sliding into the last seat at the table. "How are you doing?"

"Exhausted," Kelly replied, truthfully. "Gustavo here thought it would be a good idea to try and figure out how Griffin chooses the demos."

"Hey, my plan would've worked if it wasn't for your high heels," Gustavo commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kelly tilted her head back and forth, showing that it wasn't untrue. "You try running in heels and then get back to me," she commented and Ronan laughed. "Three weeks is a long wait." She then looked back over at Ronan. "But, it'll be time well spent. Gustavo and I have been talking—"

"We want…no, we _need_ our bands to get along," Gustavo interrupted Kelly, "and we have three weeks to do it." He turned towards Kacy. "Unless you have any objections to it, I'm going to make them hang out with each other."

"Gustavo, it's not that easy," Ronan pointed out to him, "you can't just make them be friends _especially_ with my kids."

"I don't care," Gustavo said, putting his hands into the air. "I need this to work. I have a plan—"

"Wait a minute, I didn't know about this plan ahead of time," Kelly said, an alarmed look on her face. "You have to start running plans by me from now on so I can tell you when they're _stupid_."

"Which would be all of them," Ronan commented, "oh, save for hiring my kids to work for you." He gave a double thumbs up. "_Big props_ for that one." Kacy laughed at the exchange.

"The way I see it, if Griffin doesn't choose to the dogs's demos, we could get their little friends to back them up," Gustavo commented, "seeing as they're really the only ones that truly see how hard they are or are not working."

"That's…" Kelly blinked in surprise. "That's actually not a bad idea." Gustavo gave a smug smile.

"It makes sense," Kacy said, slowly nodding. "But, does that mean we have to…try and be friends with Robert?" She got three identical 'are-you-crazy?' looks in reply. She put her hands up defensively. "Ok, bad idea. Sorry."

"That guy doesn't want _anyone_ to be his friend," Gustavo said, jabbing a fat finger onto the table. "Sure, with just a few words he could have you jumping in circles, and he has no problem attending important social events, but he won't ever actually hang out socially with anyone one unless he can get a connection with him."

"Face it, Kacy, all Robert cares about is Robert," Kelly replied with a shake of her head. "Surely, you've noticed that he's never really been around us despite his kids being contracted to working closely with our group." Kacy's eyes swiveled over to Ronan when Kelly said 'his kids' but Ronan didn't show anything on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "I've got to hand it to the man, he really knows how to run their careers."

"Even _I _have to admit to that," Ronan commented, giving Greg a nod of thanks as he reached up to take his mug of coffee. "Thanks, Greg."

"Is my pleasure," Greg replied, giving a quick nod of the head before scurrying over to help another customer.

"Has anyone else noticed that whenever we meet up all we do is drink coffee?" Kelly asked as Gustavo and Ronan took a long sip o their drink.

"Mmmhmmm," Ronan and Gustavo said in unison, nodding, swallowing their coffee. Ronan wiped his mouth with his napkin. "It's because this is one of the only places we haven't gotten kicked out of because of Gustavo." Kacy raised her eyebrows at the bigger man who merely shrugged, taking another long sip of coffee.

She jumped when her cell phone rang and she quickly reached for it, giving her coworkers (friends?) a smile of apology. She the little message icon on the screen of her phone and saw that she had gotten a new text message (and she had missed a few from her ex-husband). She opened the newest one and saw that it was from Katie.

**Katie (Daughter): **On the way back to the PalmWoods.

**Kacy: **So soon? Is something wrong?

**Katie (Daughter): **Just meet me at home, please! Rhuben and Dak are driving me.

"I have to go," Kacy said as she got to her feet. "My daughter needs me. She has a little emergency." She then turned towards Ronan. "She says Rhuben and Dak are driving her home?"

"Considering they have younger siblings to drive around, they're responsible drivers," Ronan said, batting his hand into the air. "It's Riley you really have to worry about." He then gave her a look of concern. "Everything ok?"

"I'm sure everything's fine, but I'd really like to get home," Kacy replied with a half smile. "Thank you for dinner, and I enjoyed talking to you guys again." She hitched her purse up onto her shoulder. "I can't wait to do it again, under more pleasant terms." She then looked over at Kelly. "Do you have my cell phone number? Just so I can get in touch with you in case things come up."

"That's a good idea," Kelly said as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. The two of them exchanged numbers, and Kacy gave everyone a wave in goodbye before making her way out of the coffee place and to her car. As soon as she got into the driver's seat of her car, she locked the doors and pulled out her cell hone.

**Kacy:** On my way, sweetie. Be there in 15 minutes.

..

.

Kacy swung the door open to apartment 2J and stopped short when she saw her daughter, flat on her back on the orange couch, a pillow underneath her back, staring up at the ceiling. "Katie?" she asked, closing the door behind her. Katie merely lifted her head before dropping it back down. Kacy made her way into the living room, setting her purse and keys down onto the kitchen table on the way. She sat down on the table and faced her daughter, stroking her cheek when she noticed tear tracks. "What's wrong?"

Katie quickly wiped at her eyes. "Uh, well, my stomach was hurting real bad and…" she trailed off for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Mom, I got my period. My stomach really hurts and…mom, it was terrible."

"Ohhh," Kacy said, giving her daughter a small smile. "Katie I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"It was, mom," Katie said with a sniff. Kacy gently pushed her daughter up into a sitting position and sat down, allowing her daughter to put her head in her lap. Katie briefly closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I barely had any fun, and I'm sure the guys know and, ugh!" She grabbed the pillow from behind her and covered her face with it.

"Well, Kendall knows all about girls and their periods," Kacy said in a soothing tone and Katie's eyes snapped open.

"Not _him_," she said, "Patrick and Noah."

Kacy blinked in surprise, holding back a small laugh. "Sweetheart, they have sisters, too. I'm sure they're used to it and not embarrassed about it." Katie seemed to start pouting. "And you shouldn't be either. Getting your period is a good thing. In fact, I was starting to get worried about you."

"Thanks," Katie muttered.

"Sorry," Kacy replied with a small smile. "Do you have any questions? Do you need to know about pads and tampons?"

"No," Katie commented, "Riley explained it all to me." Kacy gave a short nod, but didn't say anything. She was hoping to have been able to have that conversation with her daughter about this, but it wasn't like she could schedule when she was going to have her period. She tried to have conversations with Katie beforehand, but she always got uncomfortable and would try to change the subject. "But…could you run me a hot bath?"

Kacy chuckled. "Sure," she replied and Katie slowly got off the couch, making her way into their room. Kacy headed into the bathroom and plugged the drain, drawing a warm bath for her daughter. _I can't believe how fast she's growing up. Maybe she's old enough to know about her father_.

"Thanks, mom," Katie said as she walked into the bathroom in a robe, her arms filled with clothes and a book.

"You're welcome," Kacy replied, getting to her feet. "If Kendall and the boys get back, I'll tell them not to bother you." Kacy closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment.

Wandering into the kitchen, she picked up stray cups and plates and washed them, turned off the coffee maker and headed down the hall to her bedroom, her mind filled. She flopped on her bed and contemplated the ceiling.

* * *

Ronan tapped the railing in the elevator as it slowly slid down into the first floor of his condominium. The elevator stopped moving _dinged_ and the doors slid open. Riley spotted him and smiled as she made her way over to him.

"Sorry for dropping in," Riley said as she gave him a hug. He instantly returned it, hugging her back a little tighter than he needed to.

"It's no problem at all," Ronan replied with a smile. As he took a step back, looking down at her as the two of them turned and headed back to the elevator he had just left. "You know my place is always open for you guys. How was the pier?"

"Good," Riley replied, glancing over her shoulders as she stepped into the elevator.

"Something wrong?" Ronan asked as the elevator doors slid shut.

"No," Riley replied with a shake of her head. Her eyebrows twitched and she looked up at him. "Kendall was making sure I got in ok." She gave him a look as if it was the craziest thing on the planet. "He saw me walking."

"You _walked_ all the way here?" Ronan asked as he jabbed his thumb into the numbered buttons on the wall panel of the elevator. "From the _pier_? By _yourself_?"

"Geeze, calm down, _dad_, it's no big deal," Riley said, crossing her arms over her chest, slumping into the corner. "I was meeting some friends in town and just walked here."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Ronan asked, feeling an odd emotion wash over him when she had jokingly called him 'dad'. "It's after nine."

"Ten o'clock actually," she informed him, glancing at her watch. "I was already out, and I needed a quiet place to write some songs so I came over here."

That wasn't uncommon. A lot of the time Robert would pawn his kids off on him, making him change his plans at the last moment. In most cases, it was a great distraction from his work, but in this case, he didn't think she was telling the truth. Not entirely anyway.

"Mind if I crash on your couch?" Riley asked, taking her phone out of her pocket, her thumbs flying over the pad as she typed something out.

"Yeah, no problem," Ronan replied, running his fingers through his hair as the elevator doors slid open. He pulled his keys to his condo out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and swung it open and Riley made her way inside, kicking her shoes off, leaving them by the door. He watched as she made her way into his bedroom and came out a moment later with a guitar in one hand, a pad of paper in the other and a pen sticking out of her mouth. "I'm going to call your dad to tell him you made it safely."

Ronan made his way over to the phone on the wall, watching as Riley slowly turned around to face him, a expressions sliding over her face as quickly as a slot machine, so fast, he almost missed it. But, she shrugged, dropping down onto the couch in the living room, spitting the pen down onto the table. "You have anything to eat?"

"Yeah, I'll get you something in a minute," Ronan replied, taking the phone off of the receiver jabbing his thumb into the starred number 5 before putting it to his ear. Balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder, he made his way over to the refrigerator. The phone rang in his ear as he looked around for something for her to eat. _I really have to go shopping_.

"_Hey, Ronan_," Sydney's voice came over the line.

"Hey, Little Man, is your dad home?" Ronan asked, finding a bag of green grapes in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. That was weird. Having known them for years, he made sure to keep popcorn and grapes on hand whenever they came, but it was weird that there was some left over. He knew there wasn't a chance there'd be any leftover or if he tried to get some, he would lose a finger or two.

"_No, but he'll be back in about an hour_. _Why_?"

"Just wanted to let him know that Riles got here safely," Ronan replied, turning to face Riley, holding up the bag of grapes. She paused in her playing and gave him a thumbs up before picking up her pen, scribbling something down on the sheet of paper before playing again. "And tell him that she's starting the new song he wanted."

"_New song? Oh yeah! Ok, cool. No problem_."

"Is everything ok?" Ronan asked, kicking the refrigerator shut with his heel.

"_Yeah, we're just doing homework_," Sydney replied, "_and Noah's making brownies_."

"Well, save some for Riles and me," Ronan replied, taking the bowl over to the sink. He flipped on the faucet and pulled on the Ziploc tab on the bag. He then held the bag underneath it, slowly moving it back and forth to wash the grapes. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"_Bye_."

"Bye," Ronan replied, before ending the call, putting the phone back. He grabbed a bowl and dumped some grapes into it. He walked over to the couch and handed the bowl to her. "You know where everything else is if you need it. I'm going to be in my room looking through work emails if you need me."

"Cool, thanks," Riley replied, reaching for the bowl of grapes. "You rock."

"You roll," Ronan lamely replied, earning a weak laugh from her, before making his way into his room. He grabbed his laptop and collapsed onto his bed, listening to the faint sounds of the guitar being played as he worked.

He made his way through all the emails in his inbox, replying instantly to those that he needed to know, taking the time to take down notes for interview proposals, and TV appearances to run by Robert as well as song samples to possibly use on new songs, taking note on which ones he thought his kids would like. He paused for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

He really didn't notice that he referred to the Jackson as "my kids" until Kacy had pointed it out to him. But, he _did_ look at them as his kids. He's known them for years and has looked out for them, and given up space in his condo whenever they just dropped by, or whenever Robert suddenly told him to look after them for who knows how long.

He enjoyed having them around and treated them more like friends then kids, and they, in turn, treated him like a friend more than an adult. They had a great relationship, which is what made it so hard for him to think that something like their father beating them was going on whenever he wasn't around. Often times he wondered if that was why they came over unannounced, like now, but didn't know how to bring it up.

_She didn't look to be in any pain or anything_, he thought, cupping his hands behind his head. It was at that moment, he realized he didn't hear the guitar playing anymore. Setting his computer aside, he got out of his bed and left his room, instantly spotting Riley asleep on the couch, his guitar still in her hand. He stopped short, when the thought of her holding it as a form of weapon came to mind. He quickly tried to calm himself. _She just fell asleep while playing, that's all. How many times have you_ _done that, trying to come up with a new melody?_

He then made his way to the hall closet and grabbed a blanket and an extra pillow before making his way back over to her. He carefully placed the pillow beneath her head and removed the guitar from her hand. He pulled the blankets up to her shoulder, and she let out a sigh through her nose, clutching the blanket tighter around her before rolling over so her back face him, curling up into a ball. Ronan blinked when a spot caught his eye.

He gently brushed the hair on the back of her neck aside and his breath caught in his throat when he found a bruise peeking out slightly from the hair on the base of her neck. He was sure that he would find out how big it was if he actually looked, but quickly brought his hands back, jumping when he hit the bowl of grapes. It was half eaten, but still had enough water on it to spill out onto the paper she had written on. He quickly grabbed it, waving it in the air to dry some of the spots. Luckily, not a lot of it got wet.

He held the paper in his lap and peered down at some of the lyrics she had written:

_I'm not how I used to be,  
I'm changing cause of you_

_I try to be me, but I'm turning into you_

He set the paper down where he found it, and clicked off the lights in the room and in the kitchen before making his way back into his room. He was at a loss for words. All of the Jacksons's songs had a story behind it. But, he was afraid to ask about this one. Afraid to finally hear the truth.

_I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Just worry about yourself. When it all comes down to it, you're the only one who matters._

* * *

**A/N: Again, I have seen Big Time Moms and I know ****Mrs. Knight's first name is "Jennifer" and not "Kacy." I just like the idea of the K-theme running in this fictional family as it does in Kendall's real life.**

The lyrics are from the Offspring song, _Turning Into You_. I first heard it at the gym today and thought it fit our OCs perfectly. You'll see it being brought up again later in this fic, and more in the second one.

I don't think I annoucned it here, but the alternate title to Never Again is Make It Or Break It. Once I'm done with this fic, I might change it to Never Again: Make It or Break It (or NA: Make it Or Break It for short), and the second fic will be called Never Again II: [insert title here]. But, I haven't completely decided. I might just adjust the summaries and explain that it's in a series.

I hope you liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhubes**


	22. Calm Befor the Storm

**~22~ **

Ronan knew that was he was about to do was going to be hard. But, he knew he had to do it. It was something that has been bothering him for a while and it was seeping into the way his clients worked. But, he didn't see the Jacksons as just being his clients. He was surprised to realize that he always referred to them as his "kids" but they felt more like his kids than people he worked with. He had worked with them for years, watched them grow up and learn with the business. He even got a kick out of it every once in a while he'd be surprised when they actually answered to the term.

But, he knew that they saw him as a father figure, whether or not they had their own father. And that's who he was about to confront; their father, Robert Jackson. Now, he wasn't that big of a fan of the younger man. People actually found it funny that while Ronan was 3 years older than Robert, the younger man was more mature then he was. And with that maturity was an intense sense of intimidation. And it was that intimidation that made him weary about what he was about to do. But, it was important not only to him, but to "his kids" as well.

Ronan let out a breath of air as he knocked on the front door to the Jackson's home. He slid his hands into his jeans pockets and looked around. He noticed the door bell and reached out to jab his finger into it. He straightened from his slouched position when he heard pounding footsteps hurrying towards the door.

The door was pulled open and Sydney peered around it. When he spotted Ronan, his face lit up and he pulled the door open. "Hi, Ronan," he greeted with his dimpled smile, stepping aside. "We have the day off today, don't we?"

"Yeah, Little Man, don't worry," Ronan greeted, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair. He felt a lump under his fingers and clicked his tongue. Sydney immediately noticed.

"I hit my head on Patrick and Noah's bunk earlier," he muttered before grabbing the man's hand in between his two small ones, pulling him into the house. "What are you doing here?" He kicked the door shut behind him.

"I came to talk to your dad," Ronan replied, standing in the foyer. _Might as well get this over with. _"Is he around?"

"He's upstairs," Sydney replied, jerking his thumb towards the stairs. He glanced at the stairs before looking over at Ronan, chewing his bottom lip. Ronan's eyebrows twitched. "Does he know you're coming?"

"Yes, he knows I'm coming," Ronan replied, running her fingers through his hair again. He watched as Sydney closed his eyes at the touch. _I really hope I'll be able to help them. They're really just looking for a stable environment_. _Then again, I may just be looking too into this. Who knows, they may just be as klutzy as they say they are_. "Where's everyone else?" He answered his own question. "Surfing. Why didn't you go?"

"I wasn't allowed," Sydney replied with a shrug. "I borrowed and old shirt of his—that he doesn't even wear anymore—and I got paint all over it." He shrugged again. "It was pretty funny."

"Did you get permission to use his shirt?" Ronan asked and Sydney shook his head. "Then why'd you use it?"

"Riley said it was ok," he replied. He smiled his dimpled smile. "And she thought it'd be funny. It was. You should've seen his face."

Ronan gave a hint of a smile before glancing over at the stairs. "Could you go get your dad for me?"

"Mhm," Sydney nodded before hurrying up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Ronan let out a breath of air as he waited for Robert to join him. It was only when he was alone did he realize how quiet the place was. It was glaringly obvious to him. He's been around the Jacksons long enough to know that they were never quiet even if there was only one or two of them there. It was an uneasy feeling for him and the longer he had to stand by himself in the—surprisingly very clean—house, the more nervous he got. And it didn't help when Robert had finally come down the stairs.

"Ronan," Robert greeted with a short nod, striding past him. "Join me in the kitchen. Are you thirsty?"

"Um, yeah," Ronan replied, suddenly realizing how dry his throat was. "Water is fine, thanks." He took a seat at the long table in the kitchen and started drumming his fingers on the table. His leg started to bounce up and down underneath the table as he waited.

"I expect this to be important," Robert muttered as he filled a glass with water. "I've been very busy making sure my kids don't deviate from the creation of their CD, and are still able to make public appearances. What with them helping Gustavo and his band and all."

"They've always been good with time management, I don't believe you have anything to be worried about," Ronan replied, giving Robert a nod of thanks as he took his glass of water. He quickly gulped it down as Robert moved to sit at the head of the table. Ronan shifted uneasily in his seat, feeling as if Robert was staring him down. _He might as well be. He's always intense, never relaxed._

"All thanks to me, I'd have to say," Robert replied. "I'll admit I was hesitant at first to have them working with Gustavo. But, I think it's really going to help them in the long run." His eyes twitched and a smile of amusement appeared on his face. "Hate to say it, but Gustavo may have had the right idea on this one."

Ronan's jaw dropped slightly as he narrowed his eyes over at Robert. "If you recall, _I _was the one who came up with the idea," he said quietly. Robert's face looked blank. "Remember? With Dak Zevon helping my—_you're _kids?"

Robert merely shrugged. "Details," he commented as he waved his hand in the air. "As long as they're getting more attention with their music. This album is heavily anticipated you know."

"I'm well aware," Ronan commented. _Considering I've been working on it for, oh, I don't know, forever!_ _Not to mention, I see all the fan interactions and the reviewers._

Robert's eyebrow hitched up slightly. "What is it you would like to talk about, Ronan?" he asked, folding his hands on the table.

"I'm just…" Ronan trailed off, locking his dry lips. He shifted in his seat. Just sitting across from Robert, Ronan came under the distinction that no one had ever said "No" to him. He suddenly felt really small. "I may be wrong."

"About?" Robert prompted, holding out the word, raising his eyebrows.

_You know exactly what I'm talking about_, Ronan thought, clinking his fingernails against the glass. "Your kids just seem to be on edge lately."

"Oh?" If Robert knew what he was talking about, he wasn't going to make it easy on Ronan at all.

Not that he made anything easy for him since working with him. There are times where Ronan has regretted signing on with Robert in the first place, but then he saw how hard the kids worked and how they seemed to love performing and it all went away, especially when they seemed to light up whenever they saw him and greeted him in the morning.

But, he couldn't break his contract. Not a lot of people knew this, but he had made up a contract with Robert stating that he would only work with the Jacksons unless they decided to end their band. He wasn't always proud of agreeing to it as a producer he would need to expand and work with other bands, but he couldn't argue that he's had all of his success because of the band he was working with.

"They haven't been so outgoing lately," Ronan went on, clearing his throat. He glanced up into Robe's cold, grey, eyes, and shifted in his seat again. "I just came to make sure everything was ok." He tilted his head to the side slightly. "They seemed to have a good time at pier, though."

"They should be focusing on their work," Robert muttered scratching the back of his head. "However, it doesn't hurt to let them have a little fun every now and then. Just as long as they know what's important; to keep working to keep their fans happy." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "You'd agree with me, I'm sure."

"Kind of," Ronan slowly replied. "I agree that it's a good thing to help them keep their fan base. But, I haven't seen them this way for a while." _How am I going to bring this up? _He sucked his lips into his mouth for a moment before saying, "They just haven't been themselves lately."

"How so?" Robert asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I think you should lay up a little bit on what they have to do," Ronan replied. He watched as Robert's eyes slowly hardened. It seemed like h was glaring at Ronan without his eyes even narrowing. "They've been working hard since you put them into this business. Not that I'm not grateful as it gave me a job and I love working with them—"

"Are you trying to tell me that I push my kids too hard?" Robert asked in a quiet voice, leaning forward in his seat, resting his arms on the table.

"Just over the past couple years, yes," Ronan replied with a nod, avoiding Robert's gaze. "I've worked with them for so long and I've noticed that they haven't really taken a break in between creating CDs. Once one gets finished, they're starting on the next one, or they're doing a whole bunch of interviews. And—"

"Even you can't deny that it's been a successful strategy," Robert commented, scratching his chin. "Every single CD has been a commercial success. They're in high demand. Even more so now." He snorted. "Honestly, I don't know how you convinced me to help Gustavo out. They're just going to get in the way."

"Despite the fact that Gustavo can be mean and selfish a lot of the times, he's a good friend of mine," Ronan replied. _Not that I'd ever admit that to him._ "I always help people out friends when I can. Just like your kids. They're my friends, too." Robert raised his eyebrows, giving him an odd look. "I want him to succeed just as much as I have. Sure, they'll be competition for what we're doing, but—"

"Just as long as they stick to the rules, we'll have nothing to worry about," Robert replied, putting his hands up into the air.

At one meeting with Gustavo, Kelly, Griffin, and Kacy, they had all come up with some rules that would help both bands prosper; curfews on school nights, while on tour or on the road (which has yet to happen) while they're under the age of 18 someone has to know where they are at all times, if they don't get good grades in school they can't perform, no drinking or drugs, both bands weren't allowed to have visitors while working, and most importantly, no romantic entanglements between the two bands. But, the Jacksons didn't have that problem anyway as they had the "don't mix business with pleasure" mind set.

"It may not seem like it, but I want Gustavo to have a hit band too." A smirk slowly slid onto Robert's face. "It's just not as fun taking the awards and stuff from him so easily. Plus, I'm sure he needs to start bringing in some money, some way."

Ronan leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his face. _This isn't going the way I planned. How is he so good at manipulating people to changing the topic on him_? He let out a heavy sigh and lowered his hands, seeing Robert looking back at him, a curious look on his face. _Just get it over with, McGuire. You'll be glad you did_.

"What is it?" Robert asked. His eyes narrowed. "There's something else going on here."

"…Do you hit your kids, Robert?" Ronan asked after a moment of silence. He saw a series of emotions flash across the younger man's face, stopping on a look of genuine ferocity. Ronan felt the younger man's sense of calm—which Ronan was surprised her could have with being a single parent raising five rambunctious kids by himself—quickly turn into anger. "It's a simple question."

"I'm just trying to figure out where you got the balls to even ask me such a _stupid_ question?" Robert replied evenly, his grey eyes boring into Ronan's green ones. "_No_, I don't hit my kids. Whether I did or not would be none of your business anyway." He tilted his head to the side. "Why do you ask?"

"They've…they've had a lot of doctor's appointments lately," Ronan replied, trying to stay calm. "They're beginning to express concern." He then added snarkily, "Of course you wouldn't know that considering I've been the one having to make the appointments and the follow ups."

"Are you saying that I'm not a good father?" Robert demanded, slapping his hand down on the table. The loud noise made Ronan jump. "Well?" Ronan pressed his lips together and Robert suddenly seemed to calm down. "A little discipline never hurt anyone. That's all I do. Discipline them to make sure they keep their toe in line. We don't need any bad press on their part. Am I right?"

Ronan stared at Robert, dumbfounded. He wondered whether or not Robert knew what he was subjecting his kids to. _What good is the precious discipline when he fails to address the most basic need of a child_?_ They just want attention. They want to know that someone loves them. Something I doubt Robert ever conveyed to them in their lives. _Ronan was mad. This surely crossed the line, and he felt that he had to do something.

He realized at the same time, though, that he should be extremely careful with "his kids" especially Sydney, who seemed to be the extremely shy type who wasn't too trusting of anybody. This fact hurt Ronan. _None of them are trusting of people. But, how do they expect to work with Gustavo and Kelly, and Mrs. Knight and be around everybody without trusting them? Do they even trust _me? He raked his fingers through his hair.

Over the years, he noticed that they never really had any friends. He could say that Dak and Lizzie both were friends with his kids, but even that seemed to take forever for them to hint towards it, let alone admit it, especially with Dak. But, that would be understandable; not trusting guys because of what their father was doing. It wasn't fair to Dak that over the two, now three, years he's known the Jacksons he had to work so hard to be friends with them.

But, now he was doing something harder, trying to get a date with Rhuben. While they were contracted to work together, they also had the no romantic entanglements rule, but that didn't stop him from asking her out all the time. And it also didn't stop him from talking about her in interviews. He did understand why Robert didn't want them to date, but it seemed like he didn't even want them to have friends in the business as well.

They were all at the exact age where they were supposed to be most active, doing crazy stuff and causing troubles to parents and teachers alike. Of course there are personal differences, but from time to time all five of them looked like as if they were completely unfamiliar with any kind of human interaction. Ronan thought back to what Kacy had told him about the dinner they had at the Palm Woods: they barely spoke unless they were spoken to, and how they had looked genuinely surprised when someone laughed at something they said or seemed interested in them in general.

"There's a difference between disciplining them and pushing them around," Ronan replied, finally finding his voice. He rubbed his temples, letting out a heavy sigh. "They work in a business where having friends is important' to help cheer each other on and to help them sort out their problems. It also helps Big Time Rush work with someone that understands the business and the hardships. They don't have any friends out here."

"Except for that Zevon kid, but he's never really been able to leave my daughter alone," Robert replied, looking amused. Ronan had to admit that Dak's constant attention was actually pretty funny from time to time if not incredibly sweet. "I'm surprised he could find anything he likes about her. I sure as hell don't." Ronan's jaw dropped. "At least not when she or any of them are doing anything wrong."

Robert got up out of his seat and made his way over to the refrigerator. He yanked the door open and grabbed a beer, quickly popping off the top and taking a long sip from it. "Whatever. I've been trying to get her to accept his invitation to all the awards shows. What better way to get more press on us, huh?"

Ronan couldn't disagree with that either. The idea of the two of them had been gaining more steam lately. He didn't know how Rhuben felt for him, though. "But, if she doesn't feel that way about him, why would you force that onto her?" Ronan asked, getting to his feet. "You're going about this the wrong way, Rob. I understand you want to make money. Who doesn't but—"

"But, what?" Robert demanded, cutting Ronan off.

"What about the 'No Romantic Entanglement' rule?" Ronan asked and Robert let out a loud bark of laughter before taking another long sip from his beer. He let out a loud belch.

"Do you really think I'd want my kids dating someone from a band who might not make it?" he asked, looking at Ronan as if he was stupid. "Dak's already made a name for himself as a recording artist, a movie star, and he's in high demand for all the musical theater productions out there since he made the change to start doing musical theater. He's a better match for them."

"So, they can be friends with a successful movie star but not with anyone in Big Time Rush until we see if they make it or not?" Ronan asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "That doesn't make any sense. They deserve to be able to make their own friends."

"Hey, without that Zevon kid they wouldn't know how to make it out here, and they chose him to be a friend, not me," Robert replied with a shake of his head. "He's really helped them out and I'm forever grateful. Plus, I don't want the fame to be easily given to Gustavo. He has to work hard for it, like we did. If my kids start hanging out with them all the time then the press will take notice."

"That makes no sense," Ronan replied with a shake of his head. "That's what we _want. _It not only helps our band, but it helps Gustavo's too. What kind of a manager are you? At least manage them a time to have a break. Let them hang out with whoever they want. They're _supposed_ to be getting in trouble and having fun. They're—"

"I'd like you to keep in mind that I can fire you on the spot," Robert said in a low voice, pointing a finger in Ronan's face. "But, my kids like you. God only knows why, but they do. And they hate change, so we're stuck with you. But, ultimately the decision for _my_ kids belongs to me." He stepped forward, getting into Ronan's face. "You may call them _your_ kids, but they're legally mine until I get tired of them." His eyebrow twitched. "Or until they stop making me some money. Whichever comes first." Ronan stared at him. Robert blinked before taking another long drink of beer. "That was a joke."

"You sure about that?" Ronan asked quietly and Robert shrugged. "I-If you keep pushing them, they won't want to work for you." He swallowed, trying to keep his voice steady. "They won't want to do this at all anymore which would be a shame because they're talented. And I can see deep down somewhere they still love to perform for people. Just not this way."

"I think we're all done here," Robert lazily replied, motioning towards the door. "I'll see you at work tomorrow. I don't treat my kids horribly, McGuire. Remember that."

"Yeah right," Ronan muttered as he pulled open the door. He called goodbye to Sydney and stepped out onto the porch. He closed the behind him, making his way to his car. "You're running them into the ground, Robert. And soon someone's going to snap. I just hope it's not you."

He got into his car and was about to start it when he looked up at the house and saw Sydney in one of the upstairs windows, leaning out of it, resting his arms on the sill. Ronan looked up at him and gave a smile and a small wave. Sydney smiled back, waving his small hand. He then looked back into his room before making his way back inside, slamming the window shut, drawing the curtains shut. Ronan was frozen, trying to decide whether or not he should enter the house or leave.

_He didn't look like he was scared_, Ronan reasoned with himself, licking his lips as he put the keys into the ignition of his car. He started it up, glancing back up at the window. _Please let him be ok_. He barely got out of the driveway when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. Ronan pressed his foot to the break pedal and put the car into park to retrieve it.

**Robert: **_I'm setting up a dinner for all of us. We need to talk about the direction our bands will go in if BTR gets their demos picked._

"Is he for real?" Ronan asked, shaking his head at the cell phone. _But maybe I can get the others to express their concerns, too. Maybe they can help him._

**Ronan: **_I'll see if the others are up for it._

He then closed out of his text message and brought up the dial pad, jabbing his thumb into number 2, before holding the phone to his ear. "Hey, Riles? Are you still out at the beach? Oh you are? Good. Ask Dak and Lizzie if they're doing anything for dinner tonight. Logan, too."

* * *

Camille sighed as she laid back against her pool chair. Jo was on the other side of her, also laying back, enjoying the warm California sun of the Palm Woods pool deck.

Camille had pretty good success while she has been out in LA. She was in Magic Middle School, and had been in many commercials, and guest starred in TV shows, and had small parts in big movies as well. She hadn't landed a solid job yet, but she was happy with that as she loved getting new scripts in the mail to act out new parts. She considered herself a method actress and while she _has _taken some of her acting over the top, she has found success with lots of roles she tried out for.

Jo really made an impression when she first got to LA, mainly with the boys. She was shocked to see that all of Big Time Rush instantly went after her, and that's what made her stick with her plan of pretending that she had a boyfriend, so she could keep her eye on her career. But, that all went to hell when Kendall had caught her in her lie.

But, she had always thought he was the cutest one out of all of them, and was surprised to hear herself quickly agree to see a movie with him, which she got the chance to see while they were at the pier. And he was a perfect gentleman the whole time, not making any moves, but managing to charm her and make her laugh. He even kept her company on the bus into town while she was going to meet her dad. He definitely knew how to treat girls which she quickly came to realize was most likely due to the fact that he was living in a house of girls.

She thought Big Time Rush's fights and obvious attempts at trying to get her attention were funny at first (I mean, who wouldn't want four hot guys fighting over them), but when she saw that it was happening _everyday_ she knew that she had to stick with her and her mom's plan of telling people that she had a boyfriend. She wasn't _too _happy lying about it, but she would've come clean at some point. Maybe. All in all, she was glad that it was Kendall that called her out. But, she was making her rounds going to auditions with Camille, and playing her guitar around town to get extra money (and hoping that some music producer would stop by and want to sign her).

"Hey, Camille," a voice above her said. "Hey, Jo.

Camille opened one eye and sat up, smiling when she saw Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, and Noah standing above her. She pushed her sunglasses up into her hair, adjusting her bikini top. She reached over to slap Jo on the arm. "Hey, guys, Jo, get up."

"What, 'Mille?" Jo asked, annoyed as she removed her sunglasses from her face. "Oh, hey guys, what's up?" She tilted her head to the side. "What are you doing here?"

Riley let out a sigh, acting like she didn't even want to say what she was going to say next. "So…you want to come to dinner with us tonight?" she asked, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her dark jeans.

"At your house?" Jo asked, her eyes popping open. She then cleared her throat, trying to down play her excitement.

Patrick gave her a small smile, laughing slightly. "Nah, at the Grove," he explained. He shrugged. "Our house is pretty plain, nothing special about it." His nose wrinkled slightly. "You wouldn't want to go there." He scratched the back of his neck. "Anyway, we're going to find a gander at some places in the The Grove, maybe Red Robin or something."

"It's so we can 'get to know each other better'," Rhuben said, using air quotes, her upper lip curling slightly.

Camille looked over at Jo out of the corner of her eye. It didn't seem like they were too happy to want to try and get to know them better. However, Camille had noticed that they seemed to be opening up more while they were at the Pier. It seemed like they were having fun going on rides and pigging out on cotton candy and popcorn. But, they still gave short answers when it came to questions about their personal life. Anything else, they could talk about for a while. Camille chalked it up to trust.

Living in California for a little while now, she understood that it was hard to really trust anybody. Someone could be your friend and quickly stab you in the back to get ahead. But the kids at the Palm Woods, at least those that _weren't _the Jennifers, all seemed to be fine with each other, explaining their audition stories and trading words of encouragement. She was giving them some leeway as they just seemed to be cautious. She could see them all being friends at some point in the future.

"You're friends with the guys so…I guess we'll see you more often?" Patrick asked, giving a lopsided grin, crossing his arms over his chest, rocking back and forth on his heels. Noah glanced over at him, but didn't say anything.

"We're going to see if Katie's in and tell her and her mum that they're invited as well," he said to Riley who gave a brief nod. He then crouched down, allowing Sydney to jump on his back. He turned towards the two girls. "S'nice seeing you again."

"Bye," Sydney said, waving. Patrick briefly gave them the peace sign before following his brothers into the building.

"Well, we'd love to come," Jo said with a smile and Camille nodded in agreement. "Thanks for the invite."

"What time should we be there?" Camille asked, before turning towards Jo. "My dad can take us there."

"Not sure yet, but we'll let you know," Rhuben replied. She paused for a moment. "Um, if you want our numbers or MyFace pages." She shrugged. "Whatever."

"Yeah, sure," Camille replied, reaching for her bag to get her phone. Jo did the same and they exchanged cell phone numbers and went online through their phones to add each other on MyFace and to follow each other on Scuttlebutter. "Thanks for inviting us, I can't wait."

"No worries," Riley replied, waving her hand in the air. "We'll be seeing more of you guys I guess since you're friends with the guys. Or dating them?" She raised an eyebrow, looking over at Jo who flushed. "Whatever. So, good…you can come. See you then."

"Hey," Camille said, pointing over at Rhuben's shirt. "Weren't you wearing that shirt the other day?"

Rhuben looked down at it, her lips twitching slightly before looking up again at Camille. She shrugged."It's not dirty," she replied. "Anyway, we just came from surfing and it was the only extra shirt I had in the car." She then peered closely at Camille. "You should wear that peach dress you got at the mall." She scratched the side of her jaw. "It looks good on you."

"Thanks," Camille replied with a smile. Rhuben gave a half smile back and silence fell over all of them.

"We've got to get going," Riley said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "The boys may have three weeks off, but we don't. We've still got music to make."

"I'll go get the kids," Rhuben offered, jerking her head towards the Palm Woods, "and meet you at the car." Riley nodded and the two girls gave a short wave, heading into the Palm Woods.

"So…did that feel weird to anyone else?" Camille asked aloud after she was sure the twin girls were out of ear shot. "I mean, I've seen them a handful of times at auditions. They've been more open than that. I mean, you saw them at the pier."

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Jo replied, pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "But, they did compliment you_ and _they invited us to dinner with them. They're opening up more."

Camille laughed. "They kind of have to," she commented. "Carlos was always trying to get them to laugh and Kendall kept asking, 'Are we friends? Are we friends?'" She shook her head. "It's like he's obsessed with it. Anyway, they're probably just having a bad day."

"Yeah, maybe," Jo replied with a nod.

"Besides, if Logan is friends with them, they can't be that bad," Camille added. "He talks highly about them and how well they work all the time."

"They're just so…guarded," Jo said, raising her eyebrows, looking over at Camille. "It's kind of like they're just being nice because they have to be." She sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "It's hard to read them or know how they're going to act each time they're around us. Well, not the boys, they seem pretty happy to see us. Noah doesn't really talk so it's hard to tell with him, but you get my point."

"Jo, I think you're thinking too much into their image," Camille commented, turning her head to look at "Like I said, I've seen them at auditions a few times. They're pretty cool when they're able to relax and not think about work. We all just need to get to know each other more. We all need each other; Hollywood will suck if you don't have friends to help you get through."

"If you and Logan think they're cool, then ok," Jo said with a nod. "I just have an odd feeling about them, that's all."

"That's just the excitement of going to dinner with them," Camille replied with a small laugh. "I think we should go and get ready."

"Camille, we have plenty of time," Jo said with a small laugh, looking at her watch. "Besides, we don't even know when the dinner is."

"Which gives us ample time to try on all those new clothes we bought but haven't had the chance to wear yet," Camille said, sitting up. She gave Jo a sheepish grin. "Besides, I want to see which outfit would look best for Logan. Rhuben said peach and she knows Logan well."

Jo rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just ask him out? Just give it a shot."

"if tonight goes well, maybe I will," Camille replied. She pointed a teasing finger in her friend's face. "Remember, he's mine."

"I remember," Jo replied, putting her hands up into the air, laughing. "Well, if we're going to make a good impression, we better get going."

* * *

**A/N: **Jo and Camille will be seen more from here on out. I was looking through the episodes that I'll be using and I was surprised to see that I'm getting close to the end of season 1 (episode wise) already. I've got more original chapters and stuff to get through. I can see this fic ending near 50 chapters since I'll be focusing heavily on Big Time Concert when the time comes. I can't wait to bring in Stephanie to this fic.

Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	23. Date with Disaster

**~23~**

"There they are," Kelly commented as she took a sip from her ice water. She waved Mrs. Knight, Kendall, James, Carlos, Logan, Katie, Jo, Camille, and Stephanie over to their table in the dimly lit restaurant.

"It's about time," Gustavo muttered and Kelly elbowed him in the side. "What? I'm starving."

"When are you not?" Ronan asked in a monotone as he smoothed down his tie and got to his feet. Robert quickly did the same as did Patrick, Noah, and Sydney. Ronan gave Gustavo a weird look. "You don't have a polite bone in your body, do you?"

Gustavo let out a loud burp after he set down his water. "Not really, no." Riley and Rhuben started laughing, but quickly stopped when Robert let out a loud cough. Gustavo gave the two girls a surprised look.

"Hi, sorry we're late," Mrs. Knight said with a smile as she made it to the head of the table. She reached out her hand and shook Ronan's hand. "Ronan, Robert, Gustavo, nice to see you again. And you, of course, Kelly."

"Please, have a seat," Robert said as he moved to pull out Mrs. Knight's chair.

"Thank you," Mrs. Knight said with a smile as she tucked the bottom of her skirt underneath her before she pulled her chair closer to the table.

"My pleasure," Robert replied with a tight smile before sitting back down in his own chair. Kendall glanced at the man as he took his seat in between his mom and Sydney.

"Jo, let me get your chair for you," James said as the blonde girl reached her hands out for her chair. She gave James a startled look, briefly glancing over at Kendall, before relaxing into a warm smile. "And might I say you look lovely tonight."

"Why thank you, James, that's very sweet of you," Jo said with a smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I thought you had a boyfriend," Patrick commented, quirking an eyebrow. He was playing with the silver wear in his napkin. He had his cheek in the palm of his hand, looking bored. His eyes flickered towards her.

"I…do," Jo replied slowly.

"Hey, is it against the law to compliment a pretty girl every now and then?" James gave Jo a mock offended look and shrugged. "But, if you don't want it, that's fine by me." He dropped down into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Logan sat down, shaking his head, muttering something under his breath. James's eyes widened slightly as he looked over at the twin girls. "Not that either of _you _don't look especially lovely tonight."

"Thanks, James," Riley replied, giving him a half smile, biting her lower lip.

Noah frowned, looking over at his brother, before the two of them pushed in Camille's chair. Sydney had a little bit of trouble helping Katie, so Patrick helped him. Noah sat back down in his chair and grabbed onto his cup of water as it nearly fell over when Patrick pushed Katie so hard, she bumped he table.

"Sorry!" Patrick cringed as he dropped defeated into the last empty seat. "Sorry."

"No worries," Dak commented as adjusted his shirt collar. He then turned towards Rhuben and gave her a smile. "Now why wouldn't you let me do that?"

"Believe it or not, I think you'd actually like to keep your fingers," Rhuben replied in a monotone as she reached for her sip of water. "Not only that, but the _last _time you tried to push in my chair, I got a lap of clam chowder."

"You have to admit, that _was _pretty funny," Lizzie pointed out, turning away from her conversation with Katie.

"Hilarious," Rhuben replied, arching an eyebrow.

Robert cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "So, our waiter should be here soon," he announced, folding his hands onto the table. "As I put together this little get together everything's on me. I hope you enjoy the food."

"This place is really cool," Camille said with a smile as she looked around. "Thanks for inviting us."

"Sure," Riley replied.

"Seriously, thanks for all of the help that you guys are giving us," Carlos said looking over at the Jacksons and then at Dak. "We really appreciate it. We just wish we knew how our demos were fairing."

"You should've seen them the first time they were waiting for their demos," Lizzie spoke up, jerking her thumb towards Patrick and Noah. Noah silently blinked and Patrick gave her a look as if silently warning her to stop talking or else. "Boy, they were nervous." She then gave the four boys a smile. "Hi, I'm Lizzie, Dak's sister."

"And you can stop apologizing," Riley said, an edge to her tone. "We're all under a contract, we'd have to help you anyway." She got shocked silent and cleared her throat. "Just saying." She turned towards Dak. "Don't mention hockey around any of them, especially Kendall, unless you want him to talk your ear off."

"Hey, I hate the sport, but it's kinda cool to listen to the stories of their games," Jo commented.

"Of course she would," Patrick muttered under his breath and Riley elbowed him in the side.

"Wait…what?" Kendall asked, leaning forward to look at her. "You hate hockey?"

"Yeah," Jo replied with a shrug. "Never liked it. It's too…barbaric."

"There is nothing barbaric about bashing out people's teeth," Carlos said after he let out a loud gasp. "That's the whole fun of it! Same thing with lacrosse, and football—"

"Both sports you suck at," Katie commented with a roll of her eyes. "You'd think it'd be the other way around; walking normally on land and having two left feet on the ice." She then gave him a sweet smile. "Oh wait, I'm sorry…you can barely function because of how many times you hit your head on the ice."

Kendall looked over at Sydney as he put his hand over his mouth, giggling. Kendall gave him a warm smile and Sydney looked up at him, returning it. Kendall was a little bit surprised. Sydney was always shy around him, but now he had actually gotten a smile out of him.

"Is that why you wear the helmet a lot?" Rhuben asked, looking over at Carlos, her upper lip curling slightly.

"We don't ever really talk about the helmet," Logan said as Carlos pouted, muttering, "Why is everyone teasing me?" as he slumped down in his seat. Logan patted Carlos's shoulder. "It's a sensitive issue."

"So, Dak, how long have you and Lizzie known the Jacksons?" Camille asked, brushing her hair behind her ears as she gave the Teen Icon a warm smile. Jo turned to face him as well, clasping her hands together on the table in front of her.

"Just about three years now," Dak replied, giving Rhuben another smile as he reached for his glass of water. "Ronan was the one who suggested I meet up with them shortly after they came to American to really start on their music." He shrugged. "I helped them learn how to speak with an American accent, how to _sing _with an American accent, helped them with scales, tell them which interviewers were more upbeat and which were more serious and laid back and stuff like that. The rest, as you can say, is history. We've been friends ever since."

"And you've been annoying ever since, Teen Icon," Riley replied giving him a sweet smile.

"I'm glad we're on the same page, sweetheart" Dak replied with just as much sweetness in his voice. "Anyway, they're some of the best friends I've ever had and will undoubtedly help you guys out."

_I'm surprised he can call them friends_ Kendall thought with a sigh._. They treat him so differently than us. What's wrong with us? _

"We just don't know you," Sydney spoke up. Kendall looked down at him and saw that he was drawing on his napkin with a pen. 'We don' really know any of you guys. We don't trust people right off the bat." He looked up at Kendall. "Being in Hollywood makes anyone cautious of people they want to be friends with." He shrugged. "Nothing personal." Kendall stared at Sydney, his jaw dropped slightly. :Of anything, it's really Ri-Ri and Rhu-Rhu that's tough to crack."

"If you say so," Kendall commented.

"Well, I'm talking to you, aren't I?" Sydney asked, raising his eyebrows. "And in case you didn't notice, I haven't said anything sarcastically or mean." He gave his dimpled smile when Kendall laughed a little bit. "Trust me; my sisters aren't that bad. They just like getting a feel for people before they open up, that's all."

"Well, thanks for your vote of confidence," Kendall said to him and Sydney nodded.

Small talk started up around the table as drinks were ordered before their dinner was ordered as well. Kendall was only half listening to what anyone was saying. Part of him was to what the adults were saying and part of him was trying to make sure nothing happened down at the end of the table that could cause them to get kicked out. It wasn't all that unheard of.

"Alright, the food's here!" Carlos said as he clapped his hands together, rubbing them in anticipation as he watched three servers make their way over to their large table. "How is the food at this place, anyway?"

"Good enough," Riley replied and raised her hand as a waiter called for the person that ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger with Swiss Cheese.

"Should've known," Logan commented, before placing a French fry in his mouth. He nodded towards Riley's and Rhuben's, who got a Bacon Cheeseburger with Cheddar Cheese, plates. "You guys always ordered bacon cheeseburgers. Even when we were younger."

Riley peered at him, an eyebrow arching as a smirk slowly slid onto her face. "I'm surprised you remember that," she commented in her thick Australian accent. "Mr. I'm-Gonna-Cry-If-I-Don't-Get-A-Kid's-Meal." Logan's face flushed as everyone at their end of the table started laughing.

"Syd, you're not supposed to eat yet," Robert said to his son who had shoved five French fries into his mouth. "Not until everyone's served." Kendall turned his head and saw that the small boy was holding onto handfuls of fries.

"But, I'm hungry," Sydney whined seconds before his stomach let out a loud growl. "See?"

"It's ok, Rob," Ronan said, giving Sydney a look of encouragement. "They've been working hard all day. I don't think they've eaten since lunch." Robert briefly closed his eyes before waving a hand in the air. Kendall's jaw dropped slightly as he watched the Jacksons practically lunged for their food, shoving as much of it as they could into their mouths. "I didn't push them to work _that_ hard today in the studio."

"They had dance rehearsals all afternoon," Robert muttered, calmly reaching for his bottle of beer. He took a long sip and loudly cleared his throat after her swallowed and his kids immediately slowed down. "We had a pretty productive day today. What about you, Gustavo?"

"The boys are working very hard," Kelly replied, quickly talking over Gustavo before he could say anything. "They've really been improving day after day."

"Yes, but are they improving fast enough?" Robert asked, raising his eyebrows. "It's not long before Griffin will want to schedule their first concert."

"I'm aware of that, _Rob_," Gustavo muttered through clenched teeth. "But, don't you worry the dogs—" Kelly elbowed him hard in the side. "I mean the _boys_ are doing well. And how are your kids doing? I mean, besides being hungry."

"We're just rooted cause we worked hard in the dance studio today, that's all," Patrick protested with a frown.

Robert shot him a look and he slouched down in his seat. _Great, now these idiots are going to think I starve these brats_, Robert thought with an eye roll. _Which isn't entirely untrue, but they don't need to know that_. "My kids are doing fine, Gustavo," he replied coolly. "Writing new songs every day; we're deciding on what songs to put on the next album. The sooner it comes out the sooner we can go on tour."

"We're aiming for a summer tour if things go well with your demos. We still don't know if it's going to be chosen," Ronan said to Mrs. Knight although he was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "But if your album goes well, we were thinking of inviting you guys to be our opening band for tour." He then turned to addressf Big Time Rush. "How does that sound to you guys?"

"That sounds AMAZING!" Carlos shouted. Sydney winced, slapping his hand over his ears at the sudden sound.

"Use your inside voice, please, Carlos," Mrs. Knight said, wiggling a finger in her ear. Carlos shouted an apology and Mrs. Knight smiled, shaking her head.

"Of course, Dak, you'd be going on tour to promote the soundtrack to Varsity Vampires 2," Ronan added.

"Ooh, maybe you could have Rhubes sing the duets with you," Lizzie suggested with a grin, elbowing his brother in the side. "The fans would eat it up."

"That _does_ sound exciting, but we were thinking about going back to Minnesota over the summer," Mrs. Knight said with a patient smile towards the smaller girl.

"Mrs. Knight, the boys are training to be professionals," Gustavo said as he took off his sunglasses. People still didn't understand why he insisted on wearing them indoors. "And professional entertainers have to make sacrifices to make it in a business like this. Some of those sacrifices would be the lack of visitation to their family."

"You mean we can't see our moms?" Logan asked, his eyes widening. His face flushed and he nervously cleared his throat. "Not that I'm a Mama's Boy or anything."

"Yes, you are," Katie immediately replied.

Logan raised his eyebrows as he looked at her and she shrugged in reply. He sighed when he heard Camille and Jo giggle. He rubbed his forehead when he realized that Riley and Rhuben were laughing as well. _Why don't they just air out all my dirty laundry? _He thought with a shake of his head. _It's obvious they're not going to make this easy for me_.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Rhuben quickly added. "I think it's great that you have a close bond with your parents." She then added in a quiet voice. "I always have." Logan blinked, his eyebrows scrunching up together. He caught James's eye from across the table and they shared a curious glance.

"I think it's sweet," Camille agreed, giving Logan a warm smile. "It's just me and my dad out here, but we always try and do stuff together whenever I'm not auditioning. Your parents must be really proud of you."

"They are," Logan replied, smiling back at her. "I've always wanted to be a doctor, but they support me and the guys while we're out here." Camille clearly looked impressed.

"Maybe we can schedule a few days off in Minnesota so they can visit home," Kelly suggested, reaching for her glass of tea. "To make sure they stay grounded and remember where they came from. Plus, Mrs. Knight—"

"Kacy, please," Mrs. Knight interrupted her with a smile.

"Kacy, I assure you, you'd need the few days off as well," Kelly added and Mrs. Knight agreed with a nod. "And, I think it'd be great for your husband to see your kids and how they're doing." Her smile slowly faded when Mrs. Knight reached for her cup of water and quickly started to drink it as fast as she could. Kendall had winced at the mention of his dad and started playing with his napkin. "Did I say something wrong?"

"If I may?" Ronan asked, glancing over at Mrs. Knight who nodded. "She and her husband split up years ago. He's, uh, not in the picture." Kelly arched an eyebrow at him and he added, "I ran into Kacy at Java Joe's a few times and it came up in conversation."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kelly replied as a worried look crossed her face. "I didn't know. I wouldn't have said—"

"Don't worry about it," Mrs. Knight replied with a shake of her head, her auburn curls gently slapping her in the face.

"So, what, that comes up in casual conversation now?" Kendall asked, looking over at Ronan, eyebrows knitted together in anger.

"Kendall," Katie said quietly, dropping the French fry that was in her hand back onto her plate.

"It wasn't quite like that," Ronan quickly explained, shooting Mrs. Knight an apologetic look. "We were talking about our bands when I ran into her. I questioned her about looking for a job, and it just came up. It's my fault, really."

Kendall sat moodily in his seat as an awkward silence fell over the table. "Hey, it's ok, man," James said, gently kicking his friend under the table. "It was just a simple question, that's all." Kendall silently nodded and continued to play with his napkin. He looked over at Sydney when the small boy tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sorry," he said, giving a hint of a smile. The anger immediately left Kendall's body and his lips twitched into a smile as well.

The rest of dinner was kind of awkward from then on out. The group of kids had struck up some conversation with each other and despite the Jacksons being quite at first, when they got into a conversation about what they could do for fun around the city, did they start to open up a little bit more.

"Why don't we let the kids hang out in the arcade while we discuss more of the business side of things," Ronan suggested, running a hand over his face.

"Hey, now _that's_ not a bad idea," James said with a grin, slapping the table with his hand. "Come on guys, let's go."

* * *

The arcade was large and dark, with many sounds of various games of shooting and fishing alike. Kids ran from game to game, dropping tokens and throwing won items at each other. But, it was kind of strange to have a restaurant that seemed kind of stuffy to have an arcade.

"Ooh, motorcycle game!" Carlos cheered as he spotted the machine after he changed some of his dollar bills into tokens. "Who wants to race me?" He charged over to the machine and climbed on. "What are you, chicken?"

"I'll play," Rhuben offered, making her way over to him. "But you should know, I'm really good."

"We'll just see about that," Carlos replied as he pushed his tokens into the machine. "I've never lost a game."

Katie evaded the small kids and nearly ran to the stage that contained the one game she really wanted to play: Dance Dance Revolution. She stepped up onto the platform and stuck the tokens required into the machine, starting it up, filling the room with loud music.

"I'll play you." Katie turned and saw Patrick stepping up onto the platform beside her. He handed Noah, who was leaning against the side of the machine, his extra tokens before pushing his into the machine. Lizzie leaned against the side of the machine, an expectant smile on her face.

"That's not fair though, you're a professional dancer," she pointed out.

Patrick's lips twitched as his nose wrinkled. "Even blokes like me can muck up their dance steps," he replied evenly before nodding over at his brother.

"That's true," Lizzie pointed out with a small laugh. "I've seen it first hand."

Patrick waved towards the game. "Pick whatever song you want."

"Ok, then," Katie replied, rubbing her hands together. The game loaded and the machine blared, "DDR MAX, PICK YOUR SONG, PICK YOUR DIFFICULTY!" After choosing versus mode and the song (Overblast) Katie was ready to go. Patrick pursed his lips before he stepped back twice quickly on the bottom area, changing his level of difficulty from Light, to Standard Mode. Katie glanced over at him before doing the same and then choosing the song.

The song started and the two of them immediately started to move their feet along to the music as they waited for the flashing arrows to float up the screen. Katie bobbed her head to the song, and Patrick lightly bounced on his feet, the glowing buttons underneath his feet flashing in time with his steps. Suddenly the arrows came; faster than Katie expected, and a little closer together for her comfort, but she was determined to do her best. She kept her eyes glued to the screen, watching as her combo got higher. She took a moment of a freeze step and glanced over at Patrick; his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth, but he didn't seem to be having problems. His combo was pretty high as well.

The game continued, but she was getting tired. She knew tried to keep up, but WARNING started flashing on her side of the screen as she flubbed a couple of steps. That made her lose her concentration and she squinted her eyes, trying to see past the flashing. She frowned. She didn't know why she suggested this came. She knew that she didn't have _that _good of a chance to win anyway; and she hated dancing. _He dances all the time of course he'll be better than me_, she thought with a shake of her head. She pressed her lips together and kept going, managing to come out of the "danger zone." The flashing WARNING sign disappeared.

"Come on, Katie, you can do this," Lizzie cheered as she watched the two dance. Noah, as usual, was silent.

Before she knew it, the song was over. Breathing heavily, Katie glanced up at the screen, cringing when she saw a bright C on her side. She didn't have to look over at Patrick to know how well he did. She wiped the sweat off the back of her neck and made a face before, hesitantly wiping it on her jeans. _That's attractive, _she thought with a shake of her head. "You pick the next song. If you want."

Patrick shrugged before turning towards his brother. "Good job, bud," Noah called over the loud music, clapping Patrick on the shoulder. Katie could barely hear him and even wondered if he had actually said anything. Patrick grabbed Noah's arm, said something, and then hauled him up onto the machine, moving to the floor.

Noah gave Katie a smile before he moved to choose the song, Dark Black Forest, like Patrick, choosing Standard Mode for his difficulty. She stuck with Light on this one and she was glad she did. She grinned at her flashing B and then looked over at Noah's score before frowning. He had the same letter grade. She was confused for a moment and then saw his goods and bads.

Noah caught her eye and gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Have the game at home," he explained, leaning to talk into her ear. His hot breath tickled her ear and she fought the urge to raise her shoulder to cover it. "I'm not as big a fan as my brothers and sisters but...I didn't think it'd be fair to go against you."

"You didn't have to do that," Katie snapped before she stepped off the platform in a huff. _How embarrassing._ She made her way over to Riley and Kendall who were playing air hockey. Patrick and Noah shrugged and moved to play a shooting game, Lizzie hurrying after them. She laughed at the weird look on Riley's face and quickly found out why. As Kendall played against her, he kept giving a "play by play" of his "team mates" and what they were doing. _Leave it to Kendall to think about hockey every day and all the time_. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she watched.

"…and Cody Almond, 6"2, forward, number 27, shoots," Kendall said as he shot the mallet in his hand forward, hitting the hockey puck, sending it down the table, where it shot into the goal, Riley just missing the block. "HE SCORES! And the Minnesota Wild wins 7-6!"

"Are you a few sheep short of the herd?" Riley asked, scowling, slamming down the paddle. "It's just a game, boofhead!"

"Hockey is never just a game to Kendall," Katie replied with a shake of his head as Riley went to retrieve the puck. "All he thinks about is hockey."

"That's not true," Kendall replied with a shake of his head and Katie shrugged.

"His head may as well be shaped like a hockey puck," Riley growled. "That's the third game I've played against him."

Kendall peered over at her. "You watch hockey?"

Riley gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Gotta support the Mighty Ducks," she replied letting go of the mallet in her hand.

"I never would've pegged you to be a fan of hockey," Kendall commented, tilting his head to the side.

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" Riley asked, raising her eyebrows. "Oh wait, no, let me think. Because _Jo _doesn't like hockey but likes listening to your constant earbashing about it, you're surprised to find that someone else does."

"It's just an observation," Kendall replied calmly, setting down the mallet in his hands, shrugging his shoulders. "I wouldn't have ever known that about you. It's not in magazines or anything." Riley raised her eyebrows. "So you can do research on us but we can't do any research on you?"

"It's not like there's anything all that interesting to figure out about us," Riley replied with a shake of her head. "We're pretty boring people."

"It's true, they're a snooze fest," Dak commented, stopping for a minute as he made his way over to the two of them. He clapped Riley on the shoulder. "She's obsessed with baseball; Red Sox." Kendall made a face. "Yeah, I know."

"There's nothing wrong with the Sox," Riley said with a teasing smile as she pushed Riley's arm off her shoulder. "Besides, it's the same for you, Brewers fan. Now _they _suck. Like a vacuum."

"Ouch," Dak said with a roll of his eyes, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually meant that." Kendall and Katie laughed at the exchange. "Where's you sister?" Riley blinked, taken aback.

"Shouldn't you know that?" Riley asked, prodding his arm with her index finger. "You always have your eyes on her. Which is weird by the way."

"Oh you just wish you had the attention," Dak replied.

"Oh, gag me," Riley said with a smirk.

Dak chuckled. "Your dad's looking for her," he replied. "He practically cornered me in the bathroom mid-stream. He looks pissed about something."

"A: that's too much info, DZ," Riley said as a disgusted look crossed her face, "and B: she's over there with Logie." She pointed towards the basketball game. "Unfortunately for us, we don't have the height, nor the talent for basketball."

"Nor the patience," Dak replied and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'll get her," Katie offered before she made her way over to her. "Hey." She put her hand on her shoulder and Rhuben stopped mid shoot and spun the basketball in her hands before turning to face her. "Your dad's looking for you. He looked mad about something."

"Like that's anything new," Rhuben replied before handing the ball to her. "Here finish this for me."

"Stuff not up to your dad's expectations?" Katie asked, giving her a curious look.

"Stuff…and people," she replied.

* * *

Rhuben let out a cry of pain as soon as Robert tightly gripped her arm, marching her out of the restaurant as fast as he could. "Ow, what?" she asked, trying to pry his hand off of her arm. "Dad." He roughly pulled her towards the family car, practically throwing her into the side. "What?"

"You're making me look like an idiot in there," Robert said as he started to pass, tightly gripping a fistful of his hair.

"What'd I do?" Rhuben asked, watching him moved back and forth.

"That Zevon kid is our ticket to getting more fame," Robert said as he stopped to face her, lowering his voice. "I won't have you going around and undoing all the work I've done to get you noticed." He tightly gripped her arms, shaking her. She let out a low cry of pain when her head smacked against the window. "There are fans in there, watching your every move. Some of them have probably taken pictures. How would that look?"

"Normal," Rhuben replied, wrenching her arm from his grasp to rub the back of her head. "There's a reason I don't talk about Dak in interviews whether I have good or bad feelings about him. Or any feeling at all." She scowled at him. "It's my business."

"It's this band's business," Robert snapped, pointing a threatening finger in her face. "Do you understand me?" Rhuben nodded and he grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her head back to make her look him in the eye. "I said, _do you understand me_?"

"Yes, sir," Rhuben replied, squeezing an eye shut. "I just don't think."

"Of course not, you never think," Robert hissed raising his hand to slap her on the cheek. "You never think. None of you do. It's no wonder people have to watch you all the time. "And don't think I don't notice those boys trying to get your and Riley's attention."

"They're not even our friends dad, we don't care," Rhuben replied, rubbing her cheek. She sniffed once, sucking in a deep breath before looking him in the eye. "We know they'd be a distraction in the long run."

"It's just so pathetic that Gustavo thinks his band can actually compete against yours," he muttered.

"They _are _pretty good, dad, and they get better every time we work with them," Rhuben commented. She pressed her lips together when Robert glared at her. "I'm just saying…why are we doing this if we're just going to put on a front that we're friends? That we want to do this? It's not really fair to any of them."

"You don't need friends," Robert said quietly. "You have your career, you're successful—"

"We want someone to share it with," Rhuben muttered.

"You have me and Ronan, alright?" Robert asked, the hard edge coming back to his tone. "This'll help jump start their career, but we need to prove time and time again that we're the best."

"Right," Rhuben replied with a nod.

"Hey," Robert said quietly. "I'm sorry, ok? I've just had a lot of meetings and stuff this week. And we all know that I'm not too fond of Gustavo." Rhuben cracked a hint of a smile and then it faded. "We're going to talk some more and then we should get going. Fifteen minutes, ok?"

"Yeah," Rhuben said. Robert nodded, placing a hand on her head, giving her a smile. "Dad?"

"Hmm?" Robert asked.

"Do you…are _you_ the one that feeds people information about Dak and me?" she asked.

"It's just business, kid," Robert replied, adjusting his tie. He looked around the parking lot before turning on his heels, making his way back towards the building.

Rhuben touched her stinging cheek with one hand, running her fingers through her hair. "Shit," she whispered as she started walking around in a circle. She then made her way back into the building, making a beeline to the bathroom, wiping her face of any emotion.

"Hey, Bella," Logan said, grasping her arm, stopping her. Rhuben gave him an odd look. "What?"

"Nothing," Rhuben replied, shaking her head. "It's…I've just hadn't had anyone call me Bella for a long time that's all."

"Oh," Logan replied. He then took in a deep breath. "Look…this isn't easy for me to say or anything—"

"If this is about your friends and how we're not that open to them, they're making it a bigger deal than it is," Rhuben said with a roll of her eyes, "we just—"

"I saw you and your dad in the parking lot," Logan said, the words rushing out of him. "Ok? I saw him. We can call the cops and—"

"Could you just mind your own damn business?" Rhuben snapped. Logan's eyes widened slightly and a hurt look briefly crossed over his face.

"I'm just worried about you guys," Logan said, running his fingers through his hair.

Rhuben shook her head, laughing a little bit. "You don't need to worry, Logie, seriously."

"If he's hurting you we need to get help," Logan said, stepping closer to her, lowering his voice. "Let me just tell Mama Knight she can call the cops. He won't have to know it was any of us." Rhuben shook her head slowly at first, and then faster and faster as he kept talking.

"No cops, ok?" she asked, breathing in and out through her nose. "You don't understand. If you go to the cops we'll be split up. Sydney will be taken, Patrick and Noah maybe, but Riles and I…we're too old. No one will take us." Logan opened his mouth and she shook her head. "Logan, I am not interested in your opinion, so butt out."

"Come on, Bella, I know this isn't the life you want," Logan said, his voice cracking. "No one does. You were the same as a kid. Remember? You always asked me to tell you stories with happy endings?" He licked his lips. "I never put two and two together before, but now it makes sense."

"You don't know anything," Rhuben said, setting her jaw.

"Believe me, I understand a little more than you think I do," Logan said quietly.

"What I want is to be left alone," Rhuben said, her voice getting louder and louder with each word. "We're not going to talk about this anymore, alright?" She pointed a finger at him. "And you're not going to say anything."

"Bell—"

"No, don't 'Bella' me," she interrupted him. "Promise me, Logan. You won't say a word."

"Bella—"

Rhuben let out an odd laugh. "Hey, look, Logan, it's closing time," Rhuben commented, looking around at the emptying restaurant. That wasn't entirely true. There were still some groups eating and a group was making their way towards the front doors. "Why don't we start with your mouth?"

Logan let out a breath of air through his nose. "If you can't just come out and say it…then why don't you find a way to _show_ people?" Rhuben crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a pointed look. "I promise, I won't tell."

"You better not. It'll just ruin everything." She peered closely at him. "Our careers...and yours too."

* * *

**A/N: **And while it does go through the rest of the episodes of season 1, everything starts to pick up from here. There's a few more chapters before it gets back into the episodes, starting with Big Time Party. Of course, then, it'll bring up Jo not liking hockey again.

Hope you guys liked this one.

**PS: **New poll in our profile. _Which chapter lengths do you prefer to read for our stories: 1,000-5,000, 5,000-10,000, 10,000+_?

We've also updated the FAQs page on our tumblr to answer the question, "How do you tell the twins apart?" Link is in our profile, or copy/paste this (_without the spaces and add periods after the "10" and "tumblr"_): dark- elements- 10 tumblr com/FAQ (scroll to the bottom).

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	24. So Hard to Say

**~24~**

Kendall couldn't get to sleep that night. He had so many emotions running through his head, but the main thing he was stuck on was anger. _Why was mom talking to this guy about dad? _That one thought alone kept repeating over and over in his mind but he just couldn't shake it. He didn't really know a thing about Ronan, and while the older man was always laid back and helpful, he didn't know whether or not it was just a front. But, he guess he had to give him some merit, his mom was fine with him being around. And he _did _apologize for the discussion even coming up in the first place. But it was still weird to him.

He just didn't know the guy. That was all that mattered. Kendall sighed heavily and ran his fingers across the back of his neck. "Just like dad," he whispered. "He could be normal on the outside, happy, easy going. But, the smallest thing could make him snap and he'd just change."

He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. That was all he could remember about his dad; being a mean spirited guy that pushed him around all the time and yelled at him. But, no matter how many times he apologized, he didn't feel like he was doing anything to really appease his dad.

The only person that would make him feel better was his mom. Well, Katie was there as well, and while her simply wanting to play games with him did make him feel better, it was always his mom that was able to calm his dad down and to make him smile again and feel like he could do anything with his life, unlike what his dad had previously told him.

Looking back on it, Kendall wondered why his mom stayed with his dad for so long. He was old enough to know that it was not good to be hit on all the time, but he just saw it as a form of discipline for him. Even James, Carlos, and Logan got the occasional yelling from their parents whenever they did something wrong as well. But, he knew deep down somewhere that it wasn't the same and he was secretly happy the day his dad moved out.

Katie was in hysterics for days, being too young to really understand why everything was going on, wanting her dad back. She would always ask Kendall when their "daddy was coming home" and it hurt him to constantly have to lie to her and say, "he'll be back soon." Soon, Katie stopped asking and he found that she too started to develop a resentment towards her father.

_But, she doesn't know the real reason why_, Kendall thought, licking his lips, staring up at the ceiling. He looked over at Logan as his friend let out a loud snore before rolling over in his bed, pulling his covers tightly around him. _She just hates how he never called. _He felt anger start to well up inside of him. _He never apologized either; that bastard._

Kendall rolled onto his stomach and briefly closed his eyes, trying to get back to sleep, but found that he could only picture his dad's face. He sat up and punched his pillow a few times before pressing his face into it again. _It used to be easier when I was a kid_. He laughed a little bit when he thought about himself as a kid.

Whenever his dad would leave in a fit of rage at night, his mom would go out looking for him. Katie always got scared, which started his nightly routine of singing her to sleep, and he would do his best to stay up as late as he could until he was sure that she had gotten home safe and sound. Each and every time he would wake up in the middle of the night in his bed, tucked in tight.

Once his dad had left, he vowed to himself that he wouldn't turn out like him, he couldn't turn out like him. He hated seeing his mom and sister upset, so he would do anything to make sure they were well off and could thrive. And in turn, Mrs. Knight made sure to give Kendall and Katie as much attention as they needed and was sure to remind them that they could do anything they set their mind too.

And Kendall always believed that. He took those words with him everywhere, using it to pump up his friends and make them believe in themselves. Sure, they all got annoyed with him about it, but he knew they respected him for saying things like that and he knew James especially appreciated it. Kendall couldn't remember all the times James stayed over at his house to escape his parents' fighting before their divorce.

For a while, James felt like his parents' arguing was all his fault, and he would turn to music as his way to cope, which started his dream for wanting to be famous so bad. Sure, James was talented, but Kendall could easily see that his friend just wanted to get far away from all of the drama.

"He's finally getting what he wanted," Kendall commented, rubbing at his tired eyes. "I just don't think he planned on having to deal with someone like Gustavo." He laughed a little bit to himself. "We wouldn't be anywhere without him though, or the Jacksons."

He let out a breath through his nose as he thought about the family band. Over the past few months they had worked with Big Time Rush, working around their own schedule to help them out, and even Gustavo couldn't deny that they were improving. But, he didn't know if he considered them his friends, not yet. Despite trying so hard. Normally, Kendall could warm up to anybody within the first five minutes, but they were different.

_They're probably just really into what they do. It is a job, anyway, and they are good at it. They've been doing it way longer than we have_, Kendall thought, glancing at the clock. He groaned when he saw how late it was. He didn't' think he'd be able to get to sleep for a while and he had to wake up early to train as well. _I don't know how they do it._ _I've barely had any time to practice hockey_.

He found himself staying awake at night more to think instead of going to the rink. He found that this was the perfect time to get peace and to really sort out what was going on in his life and how he felt about things. He was happy that his mom was going to be BTR's momager. He knew there wasn't anyone else that would do a better job, and it made things easier (in her case) because she could be there to put her foot down and tell Gustavo when they needed a break.

Kendall pushed his blankets off his legs and swung his legs over the side until his feet touched the floor. He quietly made his way towards the door, checking over at Logan to make sure he was still asleep. He creaked open the door and stepped into the living room to see his mom sitting on the couch, watching TV. He quietly walked over to her and sat down next to her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, immediately shifting her attention to him. Kendall smiled when she placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"Can't sleep," he replied, shrugging. "I keep thinking about dad." Mrs. Knight sighed, in a way where Kendall knew she was going to say something to him, but instead she kept quiet.

"Mom?" Kendall turned and saw Katie walking out of her room, tiredly rubbing her eyes. He immediately noticed that she was wearing one of his old hockey jerseys as a pajama shirt. "I woke up and you weren't there."

"You can't sleep either?" Mrs. Knight asked. Katie shook her head as she dropped onto the couch on her other side. She snuggled up next to her, resting her head on her other shoulder. Mrs. Knight smiled down at her two kids as they closed their eyes, going to sleep.

**..**

**.**

_Kendall slowly made his way through his house, towards the kitchen. He stepped quietly and slowly, trying not to make a sound. He jumped when he heard his dad's deep, rumbling, voice._

_"What are you doing up?" Kevin snapped, slowly turning his head to glare at his son, his face glowing from where he sat in front of the TV. Kendall didn't answer. "I asked you a question."_

_"Katie…Katie was thirsty," Kendall mumbled in reply. "I'm getting her some water." Kevin grunted in reply and Kendall hurried into the kitchen. He let out a sigh, relaxing as soon as he was out of his father's view. _

_Kendall hurried to get a small plastic pink cup and pushed a stool over to the sink. Stepping up onto it, he reached over the sink and grabbed the handle to the faucet turning on the cold water. He watched as the cup filled up and then he turned off the water and carefully climbed down the stool. Clasping the cup tightly in his hands, he made his way out of the kitchen._

_"Come here," Kevin said as soon as he spotted Kendall in the hallway. "Hurry up!" Kendall set the cup of water down onto the side table and slowly made his way into the living room. Once he got to his father's side, he lifted his head, giving a small smile._

_"You think somethin's funny, boy?" Kevin demanded. "You think something's funny about having to wait late into the night for your mother to come home?" Kendall's father let out a heavy sigh. "Do you know where she went?"_

_"She said…she was at a school meeting," Kendall whispered in reply._

_"Unbelievable," Kevin said with a shake of his head. Then he picked up the TV remote. Kendall moved back, but not fast enough. The plastic came crashing down on the side of his head. Stars and lights burst behind his eyes, and he fell to the ground. _

Kendall awoke with a sudden gasp, looking around wildly. He swallowed thickly, his heart hammering in his chest. He felt a tight grip around him and turned to see his mom asleep beside him, her arm wrapped around him. Katie was curled into her other side. He let out a breath of air, and settled back into sleep.

* * *

_The night is young_

_The line is out the door_

_Today was crazy but tonight the city's ours_

_Live it up until tomorrow comes_

_Today was crazy but tonight, the city is ours  
_

"No, no, no! It's cross leg, spin, pose!" Rhuben shouted for the fourth time since dance rehearsals started that day. "This is terrible. Horrible! If you can't get something this simple done, how do you expect to perform an hour show?"

_I don't think I can take much more of this_ James thought, lifting the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

Rhuben had somehow convinced the boys to go into the dance studio for rehearsal that day, but it was obvious that she was quickly losing her patience with them. James was obviously the best dance out of him and his friends, but even he was having a horrible day. What with having to train in the morning and then go straight to the dance studio, he had never felt more exhausted.

But, with the three weeks off, all the boys hoped that they would be able to take that time to hang out and try to have some fun. Most importantly, they wanted to try and get the Jacksons to be their friends. They had been in Los Angeles for months, and they didn't feel like they had really made any leeway with them at all. Working with them, they all thought it would be smooth sailing at this point. But, they couldn't ignore the fact that they had opened up, even slightly, at the dinner and seemed to be having fun while they were in the arcade.

But, it didn't help at all that the other Jacksons were sitting in the corner watching them, occasionally leaning into each other to whisper something in each other's ears. It made them all self-conscious, and they desperately wanted to know what they were saying, but at the same time, they were scared to know. They hadn't really been keeping up with their workout routines or been practicing, and it was showing.

"Try it again," Rhuben said before jabbing her finger into the PLAY button on the stereo.

They all waited in anticipation for the music. The silence stayed undisturbed, blanketing the atmosphere until the sweeping melody filled the room, uniting James and his friends with rhythm and movement. James concentrated as hard as he could on what he was doing. The steps were intricate and every ounce of energy was needed to execute the turns and movements perfectly.

But, this is what James really wanted to do. He loved to sing and dance. There was always something to improve, something to strive for, and for that reason it never became boring for him. The excitement and pure happiness that emanates through his body kept him coming back, despite getting yelled at all the time.

The studio's red walls surround an almost bare space of faux wood floor and serve as a mounting place for the full length mirrors. Two wooden barres were placed around the perimeter, and apart from these few items all that remains is a CD shelf accompanied by a stereo. When frustrated, it's simply a relief to James, and an ego booster, to stand in front of the mirror and to simply watch himself. He often found himself surprising himself at what he could do if he set his mind to it. Despite the physical strength needed to dance, the emotional relaxation was calming.

His voice blared out of the speakers and he felt his lips move as he mouthed the words to the song. He felt excitement flow through his body as he imagined himself singing and dancing in front of thousands of friends, fans, and family, proving to everyone that he could do it.

_I'll prove to mom that I'm not wasting my time_, James thought, feeling himself smirk as he executed a perfect body roll before dropping to the ground, balancing on the balls of his feet, kicking his right leg out to the side. _I'll prove to dad that there's more to life than looking good_. He felt himself laugh. _Who am I kidding? I look good._

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

James immediately stopped what he was doing and bent over, putting his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He straightened and stretched his arms over his head. He looked over at Kendall, who shrugged, fanning himself with his beanie. _What did we do now_?

"That wasn't half bad," Rhuben said, rubbing her chin. Her jaw was set, they could all tell that he was annoyed. "Wasn't half bad at all. But, it could be better. A _lot _better." She ran her hands over her face. "You all should be more advanced than this. I understand that you have three weeks off, but did it ever occur to you to take that time to oh, I don't know…_rehearse_?"

"Uh…no?" Carlos replied timidly. James couldn't blame him. She wasn't as loud as Gustavo, but it was obviously a bad idea to get either of them mad. Rhuben slapped herself in the face with the palm of her hand.

"Get out," she said quietly. "You're done, just get out."

"Well, how do you think we did today?" Logan asked, twisting his fingers together. "Individually, I mean."

Rhuben crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side. "Kendall was off a half beat most of the time," Kendall frowned, scratching the back of his head, "Carlos, you bob your head too much when you dance, which makes your moves less sharp," Carlos nodded his head, rapidly, "Logan, you look at the ground too much when you dance," a pained expression crossed Logan's face but he gave a brief nod, "and James, you're perect."

"Why thank you, Beautiful, so are you," James replied with a grin, as he rapidly pulled his shirt away from his chest, trying to look himself down.

"I meant your dancing," Rhuben replied, shaking her head, an amused half smile coming to her face. James could've sworn that if he looked hard enough he could see that she was blushing.

"So did I," James replied with a wink.

"Get out," Rhuben repeated.

James laughed to himself as he moved to get his bag. He reached inside to grab one of his many bandanas, using it to wipe down his face and neck from all of his seat. He shouldered his bag and stretched his aching muscles, making his way out of the room. Rhuben was the last one out, flipping off the lights and locking the door behind them.

They all then started making their way down the halls of Rocque Records. James brought his bandana up to his head, starting to tied it around his hair.

"Are you alright? You're being kind of quiet today," he heard Logan ask Riley behind him. James turned his head slightly and saw that Riley was kneeling, tying her shoe. Logan was standing above him. James saw Logan reached down to place a hand on her shoulder, but then quickly pulled his hand away.

"I'm fine," she replied with a one-shoulder shrug. "We're fine. Just tired.

"Really?" Logan seemed doubtful, even James could figure that out without really looking at him. "You didn't speak to me at all while we were in there and you barely said two words to me in rehearsal today. I might not know you _that_ well anymore but I know something's up."

"I just have a lot on my mind," Riley replied, "like trying to deal with you boofheads _not practicing_." James couldn't hear what Logan said next. But, Riley said, "No worries, Logie. I just have a lot of…things I have to deal with right now."

"Well…maybe I could help you if it's taking so much out of you?" Logan suggested. James saw Riley shake her head before straightening. He quickly faced forward, dropping his hands from his bandana.

"That's really nice but I have to handle this myself," Riley replied. She then lifted her voice as she spend up, walking past James, but speaking to all of them. "In the mean time you _all_ need to be practicing in your free time. _If_ your demos get picked—"

"Don't you mean, when?" Carlos asked. Riley peered over at him.

"No, I don't," Riley replied with a brief shake of her head. Carlos's smile faded slightly. "Like I was saying, _if _your demos get picked, it'll be easier for us if you stayed in shape so you got a good head start on the marathon working of working towards your tour and album release. It'll benefit in the end."

"So, what are the odds of having our demos chosen?" Kendall asked as they all made their way out into the parking lot of Rocque Records.

"Well, it's between you, another band called Vampira, and a girl group named the Candy Canes," Sydney said as he turned around to face the boy band. "That's a 33% chance for each of you right now. However, there is the increase in the popularity of vampires because of twilight, however, the girl group thing isn't catching much steam, so you're looking at…20% chance."

"_Twenty_?" James gasped, his eyes popping open. "Twenty? _Just t_wenty?" He let out an odd laugh. "I am_ not _happy with twenty, we can't just be twenty."

"Congratulations, you have officially made James freak out," Logan deadpanned, shaking his head. He clapped his hands together. "So, what do you guys want to do now? Hang out by the Palm Woods pool. Hang out in Palm Woods park?"

"You guys go on without me," Kendall said with a shake of his head. "There's someone I need to go talk to about something." He glanced over at the Jacksons. "You should go with them, the pool is pretty awesome and they can show you some of the ways we get on Bitters's nerves."

"Sounds cool," Patrick commented, scratching the side of his jaw. "What do you think, Riles?"

"Not like we have anything better to do," Riley replied with a shrug, looking bored. She swung her car keys around her finger. "Although we've seen your pool…it's pretty—"

"Dinky," Rhuben finished for her and Riley nodded.

"Well, we can find something to do while we're there," Logan offered with a smile. He then looked over at Kendall. "The Jacksons have a car, maybe they could drive you wherever you need to go."

"Yeahhh," Riley replied slowly. "We have plenty of space."

"It's a seven seater car so really, we have two places left," Noah said, scratching the back of his neck. "We could…give you a ride."

"Uh..no, that's…that's fine," Kendall said, blinking in surprise. It was the most he had ever heard Noah say, but at the same time it was hard for him to hear, Noah was talking so quietly. "It's not that far a walk from here and I have money for the bus. I'll catch you guys later."

James pressed his lips together as he watched his friend go.

* * *

"Are you ready to talk?"

Kendall looked up from his cup of apple cider and looked at Ronan, who was sitting patiently on the other side of the island, looking back at him. Kendall lifted his steaming cup to his mouth, quickly downing some of the apple beverage. "I'm not so sure I'm ready for much of anything," Kendall replied as he set the cup down.

Ronan's eyebrows knitted together as a look of confusion crossed his face. "What does that mean?"

Kendall twisted his cup back and forth and gave Ronan a sideways glance—he was scrolling through his phone, looking at emails or text messages, Kendall wasn't sure which. The man seemed to have a troubled look on his face and Kendall wondered what was bothering him. "It's just everything."

Ronan set down his phone, switching it off, giving Kendall his full attention. "I know this lifestyle is difficult. But, I can see how much you want this and—"

"But it's not just that!" Kendall cried, interrupting him. He immediately pressed his lips together before giving a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair.

"Then what is it?" Ronan pressed.

Kendall looked around the apartment and at the ordered chaos. Curtains portion off the rooms from each other—looking more like a fort the longer Kendall stared at them. The bedroom is mostly clean, with small piles of clothes, an unmade bed, as well as art textbooks scattered around the floor. The kitchen is probably the cleanest room, the counter tops are uncluttered, the cabinets are organized and there is only a bowl and spoon in the sink.

"I had the Jacksons over earlier to do their homework," Ronan explained, noticing Kendall looking around the place. "The place isn't normally this messy." Kendall gave a half smile in reply.

He tried to think of a way to explain the jumble of emotions in his gut, but couldn't. He felt a headache coming on and became annoyed that it was necessary for him to explain his feelings to the older man at all. It all seemed like too much—but he didn't know how to convey any of what he was feeling to Ronan. "I…I don't know."

There was a slight pause. "I won't know what's the matter until you start talking," Ronan commented with an amused look.

He considered the prospect and squirmed at the thought of telling someone he barely knew, but was strangely comfortable around, his unsettling feelings. "Maybe this was a mistake."

"Well, whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here," Ronan replied with a shrug, giving Kendall and 'Are-you-sure?' face. Kendall drummed his fingers on the table, glancing at the marble top and at his reflection. "Is everything all right?"

"No," Kendall replied with a shake of his head. He reached up a hand and wiped the cool sweat that collected on his forehead. It was then that he noticed his hands were shaking. "I-I mean…everything's fine."

"Kendall, you're looking a little pale," Ronan replied, reaching out a hand to place on Kendall's forehead. Kendall quickly moved away from the man's gesture. "Maybe you should talk to our mom about that's bothering you?"

"It's-it's nothing," Kendall replied, getting off the stool he was sitting on. "Sorry I—sorry." He gave a short wave and quickly left the apartment, taking long strides down the hall.

He didn't realize until now that his heart was beating rapidly and only did it start to slow when he was in the elevators, the doors had closed, and he started his decent to the floor. He ran his fingers over the back of his neck, tracing over the circular burn that sat there. _What just happened_?

_Anxiety, it just stops your life. _

* * *

**A/N: **And here, you can see more of Kendall's nightmare. If you hadn't figure it out yet, all his nightmares are from one event, just broken up into parts that he can remember. You'll eventually see all of it together. Hope you guys like this chapter.

**PS: **We do take requests for full-length fics and for one-shots, but check out our Request Policy before you do so (link is in our profile), however with our fics it could be a little bit of a short wait before they're started. Also, if there's just an idea for a fic you want us to write, we'll take those into consideration as well.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	25. You're Just a Child

**~25~**

Mrs. Knight could tell that Katie wasn't too happy being stuck at the grocery store with her, but she wasn't quite ready to leave her daughter alone in the Palm Woods apartment by herself. Plus, she wanted to take the time to take Katie through the aisle of pads and tampons and help her learn how to pick which brand and which size would be the best for her.

What with the way Katie was draped over the shopping cart, using her stomach to push it rather than her hands, she knew her daughter was waiting for the moment where they could get out of there. But, allowing Katie to go with her was a shock to the other kids. Mrs. Knight _hated_ taking them all shopping because she didn't like how pair after pair of arms shot out in every aisle grabbing cookies, and Fruit by the Foot, and junk food to throw it into the car.

But, this was a special occasion.

"Mom, can we just go?" Katie asked, straightening, raking her fingers through her hair. "This is _so _boring. Why do Ieven have to be here?" She looked over at her mom as she looked through coupons. "And who cares about saving a couple of bucks."

"Considering we're not even the ones paying for rent in the Palm Woods, I care," Mrs. Knight replied in a calm tone before reaching for some cans of beans, placing them into the cart she was pushing. "Besides, with how much your brother and his friends eat, it doesn't hurt to buy in bulk and save some money."

"Yeah, I guess," Katie replied with a sigh.

"You know, feeding people isn't all about physical nourishment," Mrs. Knight said as she started pushing her cart through the aisle again. "It's about spiritual nourishment as well." Katie's eyebrows shot up. Mrs. Knight hesitated for a moment. "The first meal I prepared for your father was roasted chicken and potatoes and for a while, every time I cooked that meal, I thought of that night and how new and wonderful our relationship was." Katie looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but she looked interested at the same time. "And even though he never said it, I always knew that the smell and the taste of the food brings back those memories for him, too."

"Do you think dad thinks about us?" Katie asked quietly. "Do you think he misses us?"

Mrs. Knight sighed. She still hadn't told Katie about what her ex-husband had done to Kendall when he was a kid. That's not to say Katie was never targeted, some of the scars on her elbows and knees came from Kevin, but she had come up with stories like she fell off her bike, or was cut ice skating to tell her when she was a kid. Katie didn't know any different, she was a little girl, anything her mom told her she believed. Mrs. Knight knew that now wasn't the time to tell her.

But, she saw those questions coming up sooner or later, whether or not she was ready to answer them. Because if she answered them, then she would have to talk about how Kevin was still calling and e-mailing her, trying to get in contact with them. She was curious to know why, but she didn't want to give in to the fact that he could still control her into answering the minute he wanted attention from her.

She had a bad feeling about it, and thought it was odd that he was suddenly trying to get into contact with her. At the same time, one could wonder why she still had his phone number in her cell phone. But, they weren't really divorced, just separated. While she _did_ get child support money from him, she didn't expect anything else.

"How could he not miss you?" Mrs. Knight asked, realizing that her daughter was waiting for an answer. "How could he not miss Kendall? He's missed so many years that he could've watchd you two grow up into the wonderful young man and lady that you are." She cupped Katie's cheek with her hand and lightly scratched her daughter under her chin with her finger nails.

"_Mom,_" Katie hissed, although he laughed a little bit, looking around, making sure that no one saw her. "_Please_!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," Mrs. Knight replied with a small laugh. She reached for a jar of pickles. "You know, when I shop, I like to take my time with it. I think of all of us, around the dinner table, laughing and talking. I kind of get lost in the experience. You're all growing up so fast."

"Thanks, mom," Katie said with a hint of a smile.

"Katie!"

Katie turned around and gave Lizzie a smile as she hurried over to her. Her eyes widened slightly when the blonde haired girl threw her arms around her in a hug. Katie hesitantly hugged her back, awkwardly patting the area between her shoulder blades.

"Hi, Lizzie," Katie said as she took a step back from her. "I don't think you've met my mom. Mom, this is Lizzie Zevon, Lizzie, this is my mom, Kacy." She paused for a moment. "You were at the dinner together, but I don't think you ever talked."

"Hi, Lizzie," Mrs. Knight said as she offered her hand towards the younger girl.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Lizzie said, shaking Mrs. Knight's hand, using her free hand to brush her hair behind her ears. She gave Mrs. Knight a smile. "I'm here with Dak; I just say you down the aisle and came to say hi. So…'hi.'"

"Hi," Katie said, giving the girl an odd look. "So…how are you?"

"Good," Lizzie replied with a smile. "I mean, I've got a lot of homework and dance team rehearsals, and just trying find time to hang out and everything." She looked over at Mrs. Knight. "Um, is it alright if Katie can hang out with me at The Grove? Dak's driving." She slid her hands into her jeans pockets. "Patrick and Noah were going to hang, but—"

"Do they have work again?" Katie asked with a sympathetic smile.

She knew that it was hard for the two boys to have time to hang out with the two of them. It was starting to get annoying with how she and Lizzie would make plans with the two boys, and she would get her hopes up to hang out with them, and then they would cancel at the last minute. But, she knew it was part of the business, Kendall was starting to do the same thing. Despite having three weeks off, the Jacksons were still making them work out and rehearse.

"It never stops, really," Dak commented as he walked up behind them, leaning against a cart filled with food. Mrs. Knight gave him a smile before looking over at Katie, noticing that she was quickly fixing her hair. Mrs. Knight let out a sigh through his nose. "Mrs. Knight, lovely to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, Dak," Mrs. Knight replied, giving him a warm smile. "How are you today?"

"Well, I would be better if _someone_ would actually _help me_ with shopping instead of just leaving it all to me," Dak commented, shooting an annoyed look over at his sister. He then smiled at Katie. "Hey, I remember you. You're the one who saved me from the fans." He reached into his cart and pulled out a bag of Hershey Kisses. "I think I owe you this." He then tossed it into the cart Katie was pushing.

"Uh, thanks," Katie replied, her face turning pink. "But, it was no big deal." She tossed her hair over her shoulders. "You should just be happy that you're big enough of a star for me to even decide to help you."

"Thanks," Dak replied with a snort although he laughed a little bit. "That makes me feel so much better."

"Well, it should, I didn't do it just for my health," Katie replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She then glanced into her cart and started moving some stuff around, blocking the boxes of pads and tampons.

Dak chuckled. "That's nice to know."

"So, is it ok?" Lizzie asked, glancing back and forth between Katie, her brother, and the over at Mrs. Knight. "If Katie comes to hang out. Dak can drive her back to the Palm Woods whenever you see fit. We'll just go around and look at the shops and stuff."

"Dak?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"Oh, it's no problem," Dak replied, waving his hand in the air. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Only because Rhuben's also working in the studio today," Lizzie said in a stage whisper to Katie, who laughed. Dak rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, Mrs. Knight, it's no problem," Dak said, catching the woman's attention. "I can have Katie back whenever you need her to. I'll just drop these two off and take this stuff home because I know my sister isn't going to help me."

"You got it, dork," Lizzie replied, moving to give her brother a one-armed hug.

"Mom?" Katie asked, turning towards Mrs. Knight. "Is it ok?"

"Help me finish here and get the stuff to the car and then you can go," Mrs. Knight replied with a nod. She gave a smile when Katie gave her a tight hug.

"I'll meet you by the little rocket ship out front," Lizzie said, giving her friend a wave.

"Ah…make it by the checkout line," Katie said, her upper lip curling slightly. Lizzie shrugged before grabbing the front of Dak's cart, wheeling it around, pulling it down the aisle. "Mom, thanks for letting me go."

"You're welcome," Mrs. Knight replied. She continued to push her cart down the aisle. "So…should I be worried?" Katie gave her mom a confused look. "About you and Dak? Now, I may be wrong, but…do you like him?"

"Dak?" Katie asked, her eyes widening slightly. "Mom, he's like…_Kendall's _age, maybe a year older." A horrified look crossed her face. "Gross."

"I just thought I saw you blush, that's all," Mrs. Knight replied, brushing her hair over her shoulders. "It's ok if you like him, I think it's sweet. I just kind of thought you liked someone else."

"Who, mom?" Katie asked, looking up at her mom, raising her eyebrows. "_Who _do you think I like?"

"I'm sorry, I'll drop the subject," Mrs. Knight replied, putting her hand up defensively. "I understand." A smile came to her face. _My little girl is growing up._ They came to the end of the aisle and turned into the next one.

"_If you weren't so stupid, you could've done this on your own before I got home._" Mrs. Knight slowed to a stop when she saw Robert and Sydney in the middle of the aisle. Sydney was gazing up at his dad, gripping the cart handles, chewing on his bottom lip as Robert continued to speak to him in a harsh whisper. "_Do you ever consider how hard I work? Do you_?"

"Katie, could you go and get the fruit for me, please?" Mrs. Knight asked, reaching into her purse for the shopping list, handing it to her daughter. "I'll meet you over there."

"Sure," Katie replied with a shrug. "If it means we can get out of here, faster." She glanced over at Robert and Sydney, and gave Sydney wave. Sydney gave a brief smile in return. "Looks like a meeting went bad or something."

_Or something, _Mrs. Knight thought, tightening her grip on the her shopping cart as Katie turned hers around, walking back out of the aisle.

"This is the last time I want to come home and find out I have to do your homework assignment," Robert continued his rant as he threw boxes of spaghetti into the cart.

"Sorry, daddy," Sydney said quietly, resting his arms on the shopping cart, resting his chin on his arms.

"Hi," Mrs. Knight called as she stepped into the aisle. Sydney looked over at her, his eyebrows raised slightly. "Robert, it's nice to see you again." She then smiled at the small boy. "Hi, Sydney."

"Hi," Sydney replied with a hint of his dimpled smile. "You remember my dad."

Robert looked over at Mrs. Knight and gave a tight smile. "I'm not just his dad," Robert said in a smooth, even tone, "I'm a person in my own right. A person with a job who's had a long hard day, who's a little _irritated_ right now and doesn't have time for all of this."

"I completely understand," Mrs. Knight said, putting her hands in the air. "But, since I have to be here anyway, why don't you leave Sydney with me, and I'll finish up here, take him back to the Palm Woods and give you some time to relax? I can help him with his homework and maybe Logan could help him and this way you could get a break."

Robert let out a sigh through his nose, turning to look at Sydney, who merely blinked up at the older man. "You know, that would be a big help," Robert finally replied. "It'll be easier to get some dinner made without having a bunch of kid running around trying to get my attention." He laughed shortly. "I'm sure you know how it is. Ronan's with the older kids. Thanks." He then patted Sydney's head. "Be good."

"I will," Sydney replied, giving Robert a hug before slowly making his way over to Mrs. Knight. "I'll push your cart."

"Thank you," Mrs. Knight replied with a warm smile.

He gave her a shy smile. "I promise I won't hold you up," he said as he picked at a sticker on the cart. "I promise I'll hurry."

"That's ok, we have plenty of time," Mrs. Knight replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "There's no rush." She laughed a little bit at her own joke. Sydney's mouth twisted to the side slightly as he frowned. Mrs. Knight cleared her throat, stopping her fit of laughter. "Well, it's a good thing you're here; I'm picking out ice cream and I need to know all the good flavors."

"Chocolate," Sydney replied, pushing the cart forward.

"Chocolate it is." Mrs. Knight smiled down at him and he smiled back. Her heart hurt. _How could someone hurt a kid as sweet as him? It just doesn't make sense._

* * *

Kendall let out the umpteenth sigh of the day as he stared up at the ceiling, his school books in his lap. Logan was happily humming as he sat beside him, finishing up his own homework. It was bad enough that he couldn't spend time with Jo at the pool, but he couldn't all because of his homework. Carlos and James got their homework done early, surprisingly.

But, Kendall figured that it just had to do with the fact that the Jennifers were around the pool. Or in James's case, Jo was there. It was awkward for the two of them at the dinner to try and dodge any questions about Jo's boyfriend. They weren't _together_-together, but Kendall was having a good time learning more about the new girl. Well, apart from her not liking hockey, but he would bring that up with her at some point.

"And…done!" Logan said with a grin, clapping his hands together. "My homework for the rest of the week is completed."

"Great," Kendall said with a smile. "So, if you want to do some more work, why not do my homework?" He pushed his books towards Logan who instantly pushed them back.

"Nice try," Logan replied with a shake of his head. "You'll benefit more if you learn how to do it yourself. Besides, I'm busy for the rest of the day." He walked into the bedroom he and Kendall shared before coming back out with a backpack on his back.

"Where are you going?" Kendall asked, leaning back on the back two legs of his chair.

"Library," Logan replied heading towards the apartment door. "Don't wait up."

"Logan, that precipitation project you're doing isn't due for another month," Kendall pointed out to him. "When are you going to give your Big Time Brain a rest?"

Logan let out a loud laugh and Kendall gave him an odd look. He knew his friend long enough to know when his laughter was genuine, and this wasn't it. This was his 'I'm-hiding-something-but-I'm-not-good-at-hiding-i t' laugh. And Kendall was intrigued. Logan had been acting weird since the dinner, and he wondered why. But, whenever he would bring it up, Logan would just laugh it off.

Kendall opened his mouth to ask him again, but stopped when the front door opened and his mom walked in with Sydney behind her. "Thanks for helping me with the bags," Mrs. Knight said with a smile towards the small boy.

"You're welcome," Sydney replied. He followed her over to the kitchen and held the bag out to her waiting for her to take it.

"Boys, Sydney will be spending the afternoon with us," Mrs. Knight said as she started to unpack the bags. "Could you watch him for me?" Logan glanced over at the small boy.

"I would, but I just finished some of my homework, and I wanted to get a head start on my project," Logan replied. "I was just about to go to the library." He then jerked his thumb in Kendall's direction. "But, Kendall is still doing some homework, he can watch him."

"Yeah, mom," Kendall replied with a sigh, glancing at the clock. "I'll be here for a while longer."

"Oh, great," Mrs. Knight said with a smile. "I was going to get dinner started so I can't really keep an eye on him the whole time."

"You know," Logan said, turning towards Sydney, sitting in a chair at the table to come to the little boy's height, "when I called you last night for one of your sisters after you left the pool, your brothers said that they weren't back yet."

"They stopped to get ice cream," Sydney said with a shrug, "maybe they didn't hear them come in."

"I guess," Logan replied.

"You know, it's a big house, and my dad's kind of a flake," Sydney said with a small eye roll. "You do the math."

Logan laughed a little bit before reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair. Sydney backed up slightly before allowing Logan to muss his hair. Kendall's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the exchange. He looked over at his mom, but she was buy moving some stuff into the refrigerator. Kendall looked back over at Logan, but his friend was giving a wave before he slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Sydney, would you like some brownies?" Mrs. Knight asked the smaller boy. "I can make some real quick before I start dinner."

"I'm not supposed to have any," Sydney replied quietly, "I got in trouble and dad says I can't have any dessert for a week."

"Ooh, worst punishment imaginable," Kendall said, making a face as he closed his school books. "Worse than the time mom made me substitute fruit for ice cream."

"It helped you with hockey season and you know it," Mrs. Knight said in a sing song voice as she folded up a bag. "And don't worry about it, Sydney, it'll be our little secret. I'm sure one brownie or two won't hurt."

"Kay," Sydney replied with a nod.

Kendall laughed as he pushed his chair back. "Come on, Syd, let's leave mom to her baking," Kendall said as he stretched his arms over his head. "Do you want to play a video game or something?" Sydney walked over to Kendall, nodding his head. "Ok, we have an Xbox and a Playstation, anything in particular?"

"Do you have any Legos or Pokemon cards?" Sydney asked as he followed Kendall into the living room. He jumped onto the orange couch and crossed his legs underneath him.

"I don't think so, I think it's still back at home," Kendall replied with a shake of his head.

"Oh," Sydney replied with a frown.

"Do you like to read comics?" Kendall asked, scratching the back of his neck, trying to think.

Entertaining Katie was easy, give her some money and she'll hole herself up in her room for hours, doing whatever it was that she did on her computer. You wouldn't see her for hours on end and you wouldn't have to worry about her. Just check on her from time to time, earn a scathing comment, and you were good to go. But, Sydney was younger, he was at that age where boys were always active and needed to be looked after for a while.

"Do you have Spider-Man?" Sydney asked, his eyes widening. "Spider-Man's my favorite."

"He's my favorite too," Kendall replied with a smile. "I have some comics, not a lot. I still have to get a lot of stuff shipped from Minnesota. Wait right here."

"Mhm," Sydney said with a nod, clasping his hands in his lap.

Kendall made his way into his room and reached underneath his bed to grab a shoe box. He flipped open the top and grabbed two comic books, making his way back over to the small boy, handing him a comic book. Sydney smiled and opened the comic book as Kendall flopped down onto the couch.

He kicked off his shoes and then placed his feet on the glass table in front of him, crossing his legs at his ankles. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sydney looking curiously over at him before wiggling down the couch until he was close enough to the table to do the same. Kendall looked up and caught his mom's eye, smiling slightly before continuing to read.

"Thanks for inviting me," Sydney said after a moment of silence.

"Of course," Mrs. Knight replied from the kitchen. "I just hope you're not bored."

"No, it's fine," Sydney replied. "I don't remember the last time I just sat with my brothers and sisters. When I was younger, we used to make up a lot of games when we were bored. Sometimes we would just play music and rock out. That was probably the funnest part."

"Just listening to music?" Kendall asked.

"Yeah," Sydney replied. "We'd turn it up loud and just dance as we waited for dad to get home. It was fun."

"Sounds like you have cool brothers and sisters," Kendall commented with a small frown. It was hard for him to picture just because of the way he had seen them all acting around them. But, you were more yourself at home.

"They're the best," Sydney said, a light shining in his eyes. "They help me with my homework, and make me food, and keep me safe—" He stopped suddenly, frowning.

"What?" Kendall asked. He looked over at his mom and saw that she had slowed in unpacking the last bag. He felt his heart race, wondering if Sydney was about to open up, like he was hoping he might.

Sydney just shrugged. His stomach growled loudly. He then set down the comic and slid off the couch. Making his way over to Mrs. Knight, he tugged on the bottom of her shirt. "I'm hungry," he said quietly.

"Well, I'll just get started on those brownies," Mrs. Knight said, running her fingers through her hair. Sydney briefly closed his eyes. "Will you get me the bowl from under the cabinet, please?"

"Kay," Sydney replied before moving to the door she was pointing to. He swung the door open and jumped back when a tidal wave of bowls slid out. A glass bowl on top shattered as soon as it hit the ground. "Oh no." He let out a whimpering sound as he got down onto his hands and knees collecting shards.

"Don't worry about it, Sydney," Mrs. Knight said as she grabbed a hand towel that sat by the sink. "Back up please, I don't want you to—"

"Owww," Sydney whined as he drew his hand back. She peered over at his hand and saw a crimson patch on the palm of his hand. "Ow, it hurts."

"It's alright sweetheart, come here," Mrs. Knight said as she carefully walked over to him. "Kendall, could you get the broom and sweep this u please. And put some shoes on."

"Sure, mom," Kendall replied before hurrying into his room. He slid on a pair of shoes before grabbing the broom from behind his bedroom door (Logan put it there after making a point of keeping their rooms clean). Kendall got back into the kitchen and started sweeping at the glass, moving it into a pile.

He watched as his mom turned on the faucet into the sink and gently grabbed Sydney's wrist, moving his hand towards the water. Sydney made another whimpering sound, squirming to try and get out of her grasp. "No," Sydney cried, leaning back, trying to grab onto something. "No! I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Kendall's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the boy. "Noooo."

"Sydney, it's ok," Mrs. Knight said quietly as Sydney pushed on her hand with his free hand, trying to get her to let go. When he got out of his grasp, he hurried over to Kendall, hiding behind his legs, peering up at Mrs. Knight, letting out a loud sniff. "I'm sorry, Sydney. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to clean your cut."

Sydney pressed his cheek into the curve of Kendall's lower back. "I-um—I don't mean to be any trouble," he muttered.

"You're not, honest," Mrs. Knight replied with a smile.

"But—I broke—it crashed," Sydney said, using a hand to point at the bowl, the other arm wrapping around Kendall's waist.

"It was just an accident, Syd, it's ok," Kendall replied, locking eyes with his mom.

"I-I'm sorry," Sydney said, stepping out from behind Kendall, playing with the bottom of his shirt. "I'll clean it up."

"Don't worry about it, kid," Kendall replied, placing a hand on top of his head. "Go finish reading your comic, and I'll be there in a little bit." Sydney glanced up at him before doing as he was told, twisting his fingers in his lap. _What was that about?_

..

.

Kendall got up from the couch when he heard a knock at the door. He walked over to the door of the apartment and twisted it open.

"Hi," Ronan said as he made his way into the apartment with Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, and Noah following him. "Sorry to barge in. I was driving them home from studio work and we stopped by to get Sydney."

"We hope he wasn't too much trouble," Rhuben said to Mrs. Knight, before turning towards Kendall, nodding in his direction.

"He was fine," Kendall replied as Sydney jumped off of the couch, a wide smile on his face as he hurried over to his brothers and sisters, to give them hugs.

"What happened to your hand, Little Man?" Ronan asked, spotting the bandage on Sydneys palm as he moved to give Sydney a high five.

"I cut my hand on glass," Sydney replied, pressing his finger tips to the bandage. "But, I'm ok."

"You made sure you cleaned it?" Riley asked him. "With soap and water, and you put on some Neosporin?"

"Mhm," Sydney replied with a nod before holding his arms up into the air. Noah stepped forward and put his hands in Sydney's armpits, lifting him into the air to balance him on his hip. "We had brownies?"

"Without us?" Patrick asked, with a frown. "Awww." His stomach growled loudly, and he put his hands to his it. He blushed. "Sorry."

"We were just making popcorn," Katie called from the kitchen, shaking a bag before opening it to pour into a bowl. "It's movie night. You want to join?" She then looked over at her mom. "Mom is that ok?"

"Yeah, come join us," James called from the living room with a grin. He patted the area on the orange couch on either side of him. "If it's a scary movie I have just enough space to make sure you feel safe, Beautiful." Riley and Rhuben silently exchanged glances.

"Ignore him, we all do," Logan sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes as he made his way over to the group. "Landy? Bella? What do you think?"

"Ronan?" Noah asked, turning to look at him.

"Well, I don't have a problem with it, but I can check in with your dad for you," Ronan replied, putting his hands on Patrick's shoulders. "Also, if Kacy doesn't have a problem with it."

Kendall's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back and forth between his mom and the older man. He watched as his mom gave the man a warm smile, wiping her hands on a dish towel before moving to put another bag of popcorn into the microwave.

"It's alright with me," Mrs. Knight replied. "We really enjoyed having Sydney with us, today. He was a little gentleman."

"Thank you," Riley replied. She tapped Patrick and Noah on the shoulder. "Shoes off and leave them by the door."

"_Neatly_," Rhuben added.

"Cool, help me pick out the movie," Katie said, as she dumped her bag of popcorn into a bowl before motioning for them to follow her. Kendall watched as the Jacksons followed Katie into the living room. He closed the door behind them all.

"You're welcome to stay as well," Mrs. Knight said to Ronan as she turned away from the humming microwave. "I could make some coffee."

"Coffee sounds nice," Ronan replied with a smile.

_I bet it does_, Kendall thought to himself before making his way over to the living room, dropping down into his spot that he had abandoned on the orange couch. Sydney moved to sit next to him, smiling up at him. Kendall smiled back.

It was weird. There was Sydney who had been calm, cool and collected at the dinner, who told Kendall that his sisters were cool and that he just needed to continue trying to be their friends. And then there was the Sydney today who seemed to be just himself; a ten year old kid. It was amazing to see how much of a difference there was when he was being professional and when he was being a kid.

"Hey, hurry up with the popcorn, we've been waiting forever," Carlos called.

"If you're so impatient, why don't you get up and get it yourself?" Logan asked, whipping a pillow over at Carlos.

"And lose my prime seating?" Carlos asked from his chair where he was lying across it to face the TV. He wiggled around to get himself more comfortable as if to prove his point. "Fat chance."

"Relax, we're coming," Mrs. Knight said as she and Ronan walked into the living room, carrying bowls of popcorn. They started passing around bowls. Sydney grabbed a bowl, holding it tight to his chest, snuggling in between Kendall and James, smiling happily. "Everyone good?" Kendall reached back and flicked off the lamp light allowing the living room to be covered in darkness. "I guess that's a yes."

James nudged Riley's shoulder, smiling at her as he put an arm around her shoulder. "Just in case you get scared." Riley rolled her eyes, but didn't move to remove his arm.

"Alright, no talking," Kendall loudly called.

"Shut up, it's starting," Carlos called as the opening credits rolled.

Kendall barely paid attention to the movie as he had noticed that the Jacksons were seeming to enjoy themselves. They, surprisingly, had eaten more popcorn than Carlos, and every now and them talked back to the TV with witty comments that got all of them to start laughing. Some pillows were thrown as well as insulting comments.

Kendall made a mental note to ask if that meant they were starting to become friends, if not just comfortable around each other.

* * *

**A/N: **I've been meaning to do a Kendall/Sydney bonding chapter for a while, but it never seemed to fit well until now. We've noticed that Patrick, Noah, and Sydney have become more secondary characters, so we're trying to show them more in our origins fics. There's more with them coming up.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	26. With a Temper

**~26~**

"Something tells me Kendall isn't all that happy with the time we spend together," Ronan said as he tapped his finger nails against his coffee mug.

Kacy set down her steaming cup of coffee, giving him a confused look. "What makes you say that? I mean…Kendall can be friends with anybody."

"I don't doubt that," Ronan replied, nodding his head towards the living room when he heard loud laughter from everybody. "He's been breaking his back trying to get them to be friends, if you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I've noticed," Kacy replied with a small laugh. "If it's one thing he hates, it's how someone doesn't like him." They were silent for a moment. "I haven't really had any progress with the Jacksons yet."

"Can't really say that's a surprise," Ronan said with a shrug. "It took me about a year…a year and a half to have the girls even call me their 'friend' out loud. But, I'm sure they saw that we were friends a while before hand."

"What makes you say that?" Kacy asked.

"They all have different ways of showing that you're friends, you just have to be good at spotting it," Ronan replied. He started counting off on his fingers. "Riley gives people nicknames, they all do, but her nicknames are ones that generally takes your insecurity and broadcasts it, making it so you have to deal with it head on; but in doing so, she's showing that she'll be there to help you with it. Rhuben's is more simple; she does a shaka."

"A what?" Kacy asked.

Ronan held up his right hand and put down his index, middle, and ring finger so his thumb and pinky were the only ones sticking out. He then shook his hand back and forth. "Shaka; or hang loose." Kacy slowly nodded. "It's a common greeting in surf culture, but it's also a sign of approval or praise. She does it when she greets people, when she's saying goodbye, when she's thanking someone. As long as she does it you're golden."

"Patrick and Noah are harder to figure out. With Sydney, he's like any other boy; he'll smile, warm up to you, give you a hug, greet you, and eventually make you feel stupid because of how smart he is. He's part of MENSA if you didn't know." Kacy's eyes widened slightly. "I know; he just doesn't show his smarts a lot because he gets teased a lot whenever he does."

"And Patrick and Noah?" Kacy asked.

Ronan sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if Patrick needs Noah more than Noah needs Patrick," he commented, a distant look coming to his face. "They're always together; the epitome of twins. One's taller, one's louder, one's smarter." He cracked a grin. "The minute Patrick starts acting like a fool, trying to get you to laugh all the time; you're good in his books. It's…his coping mechanism if things get too intense."

"And Noah?" Kacy asked.

"That's _real_ simple," Ronan replied with a small laugh. "He just has to talk to you."

"He _is _pretty quiet," Kacy commented, slowly nodding her head. Ronan shook his head. "What? I mean, I've noticed that he barely talks, unless someone talks to him first. And when he does talk, he's pretty quiet, or because Patrick does it for him."

"He's just shy," Ronan replied, "always has been."

"You don't really believe that," Kacy commented.

"Ah, you've gotten just as perceptive as them," Ronan replied, an amused look crossing his face. "No, I don't believe he's just shy. There are things that are off about them as you can probably figure out. Things that even I don't know or could possibly understand."

"So do you have any tricks of the trade as to how to get them to open up more?" Kacy asked. "Not that Carlos hasn't been trying to do that either, what with all the invites of mini golf, all the hockey stories whenever they're over here, the whole shebang."

"Don't treat them like kids," Ronan replied simply, "as I've said. They respond better when you actually listen to what they have to say and when you respect them. In turn, they'll respect you." He looked up as the lights in the living room went on. "Movie over?"

"Yeah, and it's getting late," Riley replied as she moved to get her shoes.

Ronan looked at his watch. "Ooh, yeah, it is," he said, noticing that it was almost 11:30. "I'll call your dad and tell him you're staying at my place."

"Cool," Riley replied, straightening as she put on her shoes. She then brushed her long hair over her shoulders as Sydney, who was yawning walked over to them, looking tired."Little Man, go use the bathroom before we go, and wash your hands." He nodded, his eyes closed. "And wipe your face, you have some popcorn butter stuck to it."

"Okaaay," he said in a whining tone before making his way to the bathroom.

"I'll make sure he does," Noah commented and Riley gave him a smile of thanks.

Kacy raised her eyebrows over at Ronan and his eyebrows merely twitched. "Uh, Riley," Mrs. Knight said, turning to the younger girl. She seemed surprised that she had gotten her name right. Ronan's eyes widened slightly and he briefly shook his head. "I know it's tough, with your job and being so young and everything, but you don't have to—"

"Don't have to _what_?" Riley asked, an edge to her tone.

"You don't have to be so motherly over your brother," Kacy finished and Riley's eyebrows shot up. "There are plenty of people who care about your well being, he won't get hurt."

"Like who?" Riley asked with a snort.

"Well, like Ronan," she replied, nodding in the man's direction. Ronan quickly raised his coffee cup to his lips. "And myself for example." Riley let out a short laugh through her nose.

"Riles," Ronan said in a warning tone.

"Are you my mother?" she asked and Kacy's lips formed a thin line. "Are you related to me by blood? No?" Riley pretended to look surprised before saying in a low voice, "then leave me the hell alone." She then motioned for Patrick and Rhuben to follow her and she wrenched the door open, practically slamming it shut behind her.

"What was that about?" Katie asked, rubbing at her eyes a she walked into the kitchen.

"Just some bad news," Ronan quickly replied, "business, you know."

"She knows all about business," Kacy said with a small laugh before hugging her daughter. "You going to sleep?"

"Yeah," Katie replied with a nod. "Night, Ronan." She gave a brief wave before turning, nearly bumping into Noah as he lead Sydney out of the kitchen. "Oh. G'night." She brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, giving him a brief smile.

"Good night," Noah replied, loudly and clearly, giving her a smile in reply.

"Bye," Sydney said cheerfully before practically pulling his older brother out of the room.

"I didn't mean to do that," Kacy said quietly as the door closed a second time. "It just slipped out. I just…I can't stand knowing this is happening to those kids and we can't do anything until we get evidence."

"Try being around them every day for the past few years," Ronan said with a sigh, getting to his feet. "I'll make her apologize, that really wasn't fair."

"No, no it's ok," Kacy said, gently grabbing his wrist. "I understand why she did that. If and when she wants to apologize, I want her to do it on her own merit and for her to know that I'm worried about them and I care about them."

"If you're sure," Ronan replied as he got to his feet.

"I'm sure," Kacy replied with a nod, pulling her hand back.

"Ok," Ronan replied. "So, I'll see you later. Thank you for having us over." He reached for coffee mug, but she waved her hand in the air.

"I'll get it, don't worry," she said. "And you're welcome." She gave him a warm smile. "Have them by at any time and I'll take them. If it means that they'll have a safe place to eat and to sleep." She swallowed. "Because at some point, I don't even think your place will be as safe for them."

"That's what I'm always worried about," Ronan admitted with a sigh. He pushed back his chair before pushing it back under the table. "Thanks for the coffee." He gave her a smile before making his way out of the apartment.

Kacy took the two coffee mugs and set them in the kitchen sink, running water into them to quickly rinse them out. She then looked into the living room and saw the four boys asleep on the couch. She made her way into her room and into the closet to grab some extra blankets. She paused by Katie's bed and pulled her blankets up over her daughter and placed a kiss to her forehead before taking the blankets back out to the living room, covering the four boys.

She turned off the light and went to her room to fall into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Everything was quiet for a while. Big Time Rush continued to work as they waited for word on their demos; the Jacksons continued to work with their music, Mrs. Knight suffered through meetings with Gustavo's yelling, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. The boys of Big Time Rush still tried to get the Jacksons to be their friends.

They hung out by the Palm Woods pool, played some games in the Palm Woods park, went to the mall with Camille and Jo, a whole lot of things, but they couldn't get them to admit that they were friends. But, there was no doubt that they had become more open, cracking jokes every now and then, but everyone knew they could be more open than they were. But, Carlos and Kendall were happy that they were making progress, despite the Jacksons getting annoyed whenever he asked if they were friends.

Robert hadn't done anything for so long; that was why the Jacksons felt willing to open up. They wouldn't have anyone giving them weird looks or jumping on their case. They felt like things were going well, but living this lifestyle, they knew that all good things came to an end.

Riley let out a noise of pain when a tight hand gripped her shoulder as she made her way through the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Get in here, you little bitch," she heard her father's rasp in her ear. She was pulled through the kitchen and into the dining room, being roughly pushed into the table, catching her hip on the corner of a chair. She pressed her lips tightly together before letting it out in a rush of pain.

"What the hell?" she asked as she turned around to face Robert. He gripped her arm again, forcing her into a chair. She looked across the table and saw that Rhuben was sitting there was well. "What did I-?"

"Quiet," Robert said and she instantly fell silent. Robert paced back and forth in the dining room for a moment, tightly gripping the next of the beer bottle in his hand. Riley peered at it and saw that it was empty. "You know I needed you guys here. Where were you? With Ronan?" He let out an odd laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "What; do you like him more than me?"

Silence.

"_Huh_?" he asked, slapping his hand down onto the table, causing the two girls to jump. "Is that it?"

"No, it's not—" Riley jumped again when he smashed the beer bottle down onto the side of the table, glass shattering everywhere. He pointed a jagged edge of the bottle at her neck. "Ok wait, wait. I'm sorry. We're sorry. It was my idea to go over there."

"And?" Robert asked.

"We were writing music, that's all," Riley replied. "That's what you want right? For us to make music?"

"And that bitch; the red head," Robert continued waving the bottle in his hand around. "She must know something's going on by now, as well. Did you tell her?"

"No, we didn't," Riley replied. Robert snorted, shaking his head, standing up to start pacing again. "I swear. Sorry." Robert grabbed a handful of her hair, tilting her head back, pressing the bottle to her neck. "Ok, ok. Look, we won't do it again. Promise."

"Yeah right," Robert muttered.

"Dad," Rhuben said sharply.

Robert breathed in deeply through his nose, letting his daughter go. He ran the fingers on his free hand through his hair. "I'm sorry to have to do this, Riley," he said, turning to his oldest child. "But, it's for your own good."

Riley's lips twitched into a smirk before she turned in her seat to face him "No, it's for_ your _own good," she replied in a hiss. She jabbed a finger into his chest and he smacked it away with the bottle. "Every time we cause a problem in your life you—"

"What?" Robert interrupted her, laughing, challenging her. "I do what?"

"You drink," Riley replied, grabbing his wrist, waving his hand to emphasize the beer bottle. "You ignore us. You act like we don't exist. Like we're nothing; like we're specks." Her voice cracked and she swallowed thickly.

Robert shook his head back and forth. "That's not true."

"Because you don't want to believe it," Riley replied. She pressed her lips together, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment. "For sixteen years, you haven't taken responsibility for me. For us."

Robert let out a loud bark of laughter, spinning in a circle, holding out his arms. "I have given you space in this house," he all but yelled. He then crossed his arms over his chest. "I have given you food—"

"Barely," Rhuben muttered. There was a pause and her stomach growling loudly emphasized her point.

"I have given you respectable jobs," Robert continued, "_I _have given you money."

"That doesn't matter," Riley cried, throwing her arms into the air. "None of it does. It's not fun anymore." She looked him in the eye. "It's not what we want to do anymore."

"Riley, you listen to me," Robert said in a low voice.

"No, you listen," Riley snapped, slapping his hand away. Her face was slowly turning red. "Did you ever think that I'm the way I am because of you are and what_ you _are?" Robert set his jaw a muscle in his jaw twitching. "A worthless, pathetic, coward?"

"That's enough!" Robert snapped, striking her against the face. Riley's head snapped to the side. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily. She rubbed her stinging cheek as she turned her head back to glare at him. 'Now we've gone over this a hundred times. You know I tried to make this a home for you, too. And because this is _our _home, I expect you to come home when I _tell_ you to come home."

"Bite me," Riley hissed.

"It's not your choice," Robert continued as if she hadn't said anything. He laughed a little bit. "It's not Ronan's either, for that matter."

"What do you mean, I don't get a choice?" Riley asked. She stumbled back when Robert shoved her. She grabbed onto the chair behind her, steadying herself. "Why not? I mean, we're still doing work; we're writing songs, making music. Just like you want us to."

"Because you're still a kid, you bitch," Robert simply replied, as if he was saying that the sky was blue.

"I'm sixteen," she replied.

"Yes, that's exactly my point, you're sixteen you're not an adult yet," Robert said. He lolled his head to the side. "Considering the percentage of male fans you guys have, I should be happy that you're not an adult. As well as your past boyfriends."

"Shut _up_, dad," Rhuben said. He looked over at her and saw that she was rubbing her temples.

"What'd you say to me?" he asked quietly. She crossed her arms over her chest, sinking slightly in her seat. "That's what I thought." He turned back to face Riley. "You may think you're an adult with how you're able to brainwash your brothers and sister to disobeying me left and right—"

"Brainwash?" Riley repeated with a scoff, her eyebrows shooting up. "The only people who brainwash around here, is you." She turned and started to walk away. "This is bullshit."

"I'm sorry?" Robert asked quietly. Riley whirled around to face him.

"This is bullshit," she repeated through clenched teeth. "I should get a say in where I'm staying for the night as long as I'm getting the work _you _want done, done?"

"Well, you don't," Robert replied. "Ok? And we are done talking about this. I'm getting tired of looking at your ugly faces."

"Oh, well, ok, we're done talking about this," Riley said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Because that's, that's your answer for everything."

"Let's just take a deep breath," Rhuben spoke up, looking back and forth between her sister and her dad. "If dad doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't want to talk about it." She got to her feet and said through clenched teeth, "_so we should leave, now_."

"Right, Ri, 'cause you're a prisoner who's being held captive in this charming house," Robert said with an odd smile as he motioned towards the house for a second time.

"Dad-"

"What?" Robert snapped, glaring at her second daughter.

"Yeah. I am," Riley replied. She held her hands up in front of her as if she wanted him to put handcuffs on her. "This whole place is a living hell and we're _stuck_ here." Robert twisted his mouth to the side, but stayed silent. "When do I get to choose, anything? Did I get to choose for you adopt us? Did I get to choose where we were going to live?"

"You were nine," Robert said with a laugh of disbelief. "Come _on_."

"How about choosing who our dad is, did I get to choose to live in this life I call hell?" Riley continued as if her dad didn't say anything. "You know we'd rather have Ronan as a dad. And it bothers the hell out of you."

"That's enough," Robert snarled.

"Why because I'm not doing exactly what you want me to do?" Riley asked, an amused look on her face.

"No, because you are being disrespectful," Robert shot back through clenched teeth.

Riley let out a wild shriek of laughter and Robert's face briefly held a look of shock and surprise. "Oh, I'm being disrespectful?" she asked. "How about you have a little respect for someone else other than yourself? You're selfish and greedy1"

"You need to stop talking right now," Robert said quietly.

"Right, of course I do, because that's your answer," Riley said, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Anytime anyone disagrees with you it's 'stop talking', 'be quiet', 'do it my way'." She lowered her voice to mimick him as she spoke.

"You need to watch yourself young lady," Robert said, brandishing the bottle in her face.

"Well, watch this, _dad_," Riley said, smacking his hand. The bottle flew out of his grip and hit the floor, but it didn't break. She motioned for Rhuben to follow her as she stormed out of the room. "Come on, let's go. And get the kids."

"Pat, No, Syd, let's roll," Rhuben called up the stairs. "Hurry up, let's go." Thudding footsteps hurried down the stairs as the two girls made their way to the front door. The boys quickly followed them out of the house.

"_RILANDON_! If you leave this house—"

Riley pulled the door shut and they all piled into the minivan, slamming the doors shut. Riley hastily stuck the keys in the ignition, hurrying to start the car as their dad rushed out of the house, yelling and screaming at them. Her brothers and sister started screaming at her, telling her to hurry up and once she got the car started, she quickly backed out of the driveway and headed down the street.

"That was scary," Sydney muttered, tears in his eyes. Noah put a hand on his head, mussing his hair before moving him to lean into his side. Patrick patted his shoulder, but neither of them said anything.

"What was _that_?" Rhuben asked, turning to face her sister as she headed down the street.

"I got pissed, alright," Riley replied in a tight voice.

Rhuben rolled her eyes. "No, I got that," she replied. "What was the 'I' stuff?" She started copying her sister. "_When do I get to choose, anything? Did I get to choose for you adopt us? Did I get to choose where we were going to live_? I. I. I. You're not the only one in that house, Riles. Nor are you the only one that cared about what happens to the rest of us."

"I get it," Riley snapped. The two of them were silent for a moment before they said in unison, "son of a bitch."

"So…where are we going?" Patrick asked.

"Where else?" Riley replied. She locked eyes with him in the rearview mirror and smiled softly. "The Palm Woods."

* * *

"So how are things going?"

Patrick looked over at Logan as he lowered the bench press bar against his chest. As soon as they got to the Palm Woods, he had found that he left his gym bag in the back of the car. While his brothers and sisters went to the pool, he made a beeline for the weight room. he was lifting weights a lot lately; partially to keep himself in shape, but also because he wanted to be ready. He wanted to be strong enough, just in case Riley and Rhuben weren't there, to help his brothers.

He glanced over at the weights for a moment before pushing it up off his chest, setting it back onto the rack. "No," he said as he sat up, resting his elbows on his thighs.

"What do you mean, no?" Logan asked, confused, moving to sit down on the ground in front of Patrick.

"I mean, I'm not talking about this with you," Patrick said, using the bandana that was around his wrist to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He flexed his muscles, briefly glancing at them before looking up at Logan. "It's obvious you don't ever really come in here on your own free will unless I make you come in here. I know what you want to talk about." He gave a shrug. "I don't know what Rhu-Rhu told you, but nothing's been going on. You've got the wrong idea."

Logan scoffed. "How do I have the wrong idea?" he asked.

"You don't understand," Patrick said, shaking his head. A thoughtful look crossed his face before he gave his usual lopsided grin. "Although it was pretty interesting to get someone to drop by our house a little while back. Off duty police officer." He quirked an eyebrow. "Imagine that."

Logan blushed.

_"All I'm asking is for you to get your team and to go in there," Logan said, slapping his hands down onto the desk in front of him. "Please. Please, these are my friends that we're talking about."_

_"Look, I get what you're trying to say," the police officer in front of him said, letting out a sigh through his nose as he sat forward in his seat, clasping his hands together. "You need to understand that we can't just barge into a man's house without a formal complaint from an occupant inside that house. They have lives too."_

_"Are you saying you really can't do anything to help my friends?" Logan asked, feeling his shoulders drop._

_"For now."_

"You know, Pat, the people in this world you care about, you can count with one hand," Logan said, tapping the younger boy's knee. "Don't blow me off, ok?"

"Logan," Patrick said a look of annoyance briefly flashing across his face, "we've got people who care about us. _Thanks_."

Logan briefly closed his eyes. "Sorry," he said quietly. Patrick laid back down and gently lifted the barbell off of the stand, doing some more reps. "You should have someone spot you, you know." Patrick paused, holding the bar in his hands up over his head. "Sorry."

Patrick rolled his eyes before moving through his reps. Logan silently counted as Patrick lowered and raised the bar. He glanced over at the weights and did a quick head count. "215, not bad," he commented. Patrick's lips twitched up into a brief smile before it disappeared.

"Look, you've had years of security with Ronan," Logan said. Patrick let out a harsh sigh before loudly setting the barbell back on the stand. Logan winced at the noise, but watched as Patrick sat up again. "One day he's not going to be there—" Patrick made a face, rolling his eyes, "—or your dad might just take things there. Then what are you going to do?"

"What we always do," Patrick replied with a shrug. His gaze bored into Logan's. "Deny, deny, deny."

"If you do that, more bad things are going to happen," Logan said quietly.

Patrick shrugged, scratching the side of his jaw. "Maybe bad things happen because it's the only way we can keep remembering what good is supposed to look like," he said quietly. Logan was at a loss for words. He started at Patrick, is jaw dropped. "Are we done?"

"_No_, we're not," Logan replied with a shake of his head.

"There's nothing going on," Patrick said, running his fingers through his hair, frowning when he found this his spikes were drooping. "You're paranoid. I'm not. End of story."

Logan clicked his tongue and stayed silent for a moment. "Why do you think you're safe? Why do you think you need to be in that house?"

"All my life, I felt like there was a part of me missing," Patrick said after a moment of silence, his blue eyes piercing into Logan's brown ones. "I felt like everybody could tell; you know, like there was some hole in me and…and everyone could see through it."

"What?" Logan asked quietly.

"It's like I wasn't finished or something," Patrick continued as if he didn't say anything. "Like…that's my vulnerable spot. Before anyone can comment on it, I divert their attention. I act stupid; I say stupid things, make them laugh, make them roll their eyes. It takes the attention off me."

"I've never seen that, Pat," Logan said, shaking his head back and forth. "Sure, the last time I saw you, you were six years old, but I always thought you were very bright and very courageous. If you..any of you, had just said something I could've done something."

"Let's not dwell on what people did or did not do, or what they could and couldn't have done," Patrick said, running his hands over his hair.

"No, _let's_ dwell on it," Logan said, patting his knee. Patrick jerked his knee out of the way. "That's what make you a person; how you relate to the people who really care about you?"

"Like who?" Patrick demanded. "You? James? Carlos? Logan? Katie? Mrs. Knight? Gustavo? Kelly? Ronan?" He scoffed. "Yeah, that's everyone I can count on _one hand _right?" Logan briefly closed his eyes, letting out a puff of air. "My house is filled with the people who are about me."

"Your house harbors a man who's a target for some guy who threatens you to bring you over to the way he thinks," Logan said loudly, "that it's ok to hit his kids to keep them in line and to get what he wants." Patrick's lips twitched."The Patrick Jackson I know is one of the most unique individuals I've ever met. I've seen how you were when you were a kid. I've seen how _all of you_ were when you were kids and you've changed. If you let this man take away who you really are then you've made the worst judgment you could make."

"I don't know who I am," Patrick said before swinging his legs over the bench. He grabbed his bag and shouldered it. He then pulled off his gloves and shoved them into his bag before making his way out of the gym. He made a beeline for Katie when he saw Katie sitting in a chair in the lobby. "Hey, Katie." He tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey," Katie said with a smile when she spotted him. "Noah said you were in the gym, but I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Interrupt me for what," Patrick asked.

"Just to hang out," Katie replied with a shrug. She twisted the magazine in her hands into a roll. "See if Dak could drop of Lizzie or if your sisters could take us to the beach or something." Patrick looked around the Palm Woods lobby.

"Why don't we just hang out here?" Patrick asked. He then lowered his voice as he took a step closer to her. "This may sound weird but…could I take a shower at your place?" Katie's eyes widened slightly. "It's just real quick, it won't take long, I promise." He gave a smile. "I doubt that you'd want to hang out with me when I smell so bad."

"Ah, no you don't…smell bad," Katie replied lightly hitting him on the arm with the rolled up magazine. "Not any worse…than you normally do anyway."

"Funny," Patrick replied, cracking a grin. "So can I?"

"Yeah, sure," Katie replied, hitting him again, this time on the chest. "Just don't stink up the place."

Patrick pulled the rolled of magazine out of her hands, tossing it down onto the table. "Yeah, thanks," he said shortly, moving past her. A confused look crossed Katie's face before she followed him. "I really appreciate it. I could repay you with…what? Ice cream? Have you ever had fro-yo?"

"No, not since I've been out here," Katie replied with a shake of her head.

"Oh, I know this great place," Patrick replied as they got to the elevators. "We go there a lot. It has ice cream too in case you don't like it—hey, Jo." He gave the blonde haired girl a smile, swinging out his arm to stop the elevator doors from closing.

"Heyy," Jo replied, giving him a warm smile in return. "I saw everyone at the pool. Aren't you going?"

"Uh, yeah, just showering first," Patrick replied, gripping the strap to his bag. "I was just in the gym lifting some weights."

"I can tell," Jo replied, reaching out a hand to press on his biceps. "Impressive."

"Thanks," Patrick replied, giving her his lopsided smile. "Uh, so Katie and I were just talking about going to get some fro-yo. I don't know if you're interested, but…if you wanted to come, that'd be cool."

"Yeah, I'll see if Camille wants to go with, sounds like fun," Jo replied with a shrug. "See you at the pool?"

"Uh…great, yeah," Patrick replied with a nod before giving a quick, stepping into the elevator. Katie followed behind him, jabbing her thumb into the round 2. He nudged Katie with his elbow. "Thanks for letting me use your shower. I appreciate it."

"No problem," Katie replied with a smile as the elevator doors slid shut. "What are friends for, right?"

"…Right, right," Patrick agreed, nodding, his smile fading slightly.

* * *

**A/N: **Just a couple more chapters and I'll be getting back to the BTR episodes. Hope you guys liked this one.

**PS: **Scenes from this chapter are based off "The Fosters", "Boy Meets World" and "Dawson's Creek"

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	27. Haven't You Heard?

**~27~**

"Who was the one with the bright idea to invite him?" Gustavo asked in a low growl as he watched Robert go on and on about whatever it was he had been talking about since they met up at the coffee shop the next evening.

Ronan suggested that they all get together to talk about the future of their bands, as well as what was going on with the Jacksons. He knew something was going on, but there hadn't been any evidence towards it in the past few weeks. And Robert actually seemed to be behaving himself and he actually wanted to hang out with everyone; something he had only done a couple of times since first arriving in Los Angeles.

Then he seemed to be the Big Man on Campus; always heading into meetings, making things happen for his kids; it wasn't that they weren't happy for the Jacksons, but he didn't seem to _want_ to have a social life with them.

"Himself," Kelly muttered, trying to look interested in whatever it was that the man was saying. "I'm just trying to figure out how he knew where we'd be."

"He's got spies everywhere," Ronan muttered. He looked over at Kacy who was sitting slightly slouched in her chair, staring at her phone. "Anything interesting in there?"

Kacy jumped, instantly catching everyone's attention. She gave Robert a sheepish grin before setting her cell phone down onto the table. "No, no," she muttered, raking her fingers through her hair. "Just some important messages." She gave Robert a brief smile. "I didn't mean to…what you were saying was really—"

"I know none of you guys were paying attention," Robert said, waving his hand in the air. "It's ok." He looked over at the four other adults, tapping his coffee mug with his fingernails. "So…how are you guys?"

The four adults blinked in surprise, exchanging glances at the sudden question. Robert was a guy that always stayed in his own personal bubble, not seeming to care about anybody else apart from himself. It was just really weird, to put it simply, to see that he was suddenly taking an interest and being more pleasant to everybody. If it was a way to get people to become more relaxed around him, it was just putting everyone on edge.

"Good."

"Fine."

"I'm ok."

"I don't like you." Kelly and Ronan elbowed Gustavo in the side, but he crossed his arms tighter over his chest. "I'm not falling for this game."

"Excuse me?" Robert asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Now I know where the Jacksons got that from," Kacy said in a quiet tone and Ronan nodded in agreement. "It's kind of creepy."

"I've never been quite too fond of you either, Gustavo, but what are you gonna do?" Robert asked, not seeming to care what Gustavo thought of him. "We're contracted to work together, so we're just going to have to get used to each other."

"Only if the dogs's demos get picked," Gustavo pointed out.

"They will be," Robert replied confidently, lifting his coffee mug to his lips. He took a long sip before licking his lips, setting his coffee mug down. "Mmm, that's good."

"You sound awfully confident about that," Kelly commented, her eyebrows knitting together slightly. She leaned forward in her seat. "You didn't…_pay_ Griffin to choose Big Time Rush's demos, did you?"

An amused look crossed Robert's face and he looked thoughtful for a minute. "No, but that wouldn't be a bad idea," he commented, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Ah, well."

"Why are you here?" Ronan asked, rubbing at his forehead with his hand. Kacy shot him a look which he ignored. "No, seriously. Why are you here?"

"I figured I'd actually take the time to try and get to know about my coworkers more," Robert replied with a shrug. "I've never—"

"_Ever_," Kelly interjected.

"Right," Robert said nodding towards her. "I never took the time to do it before. And God knows we'll be working together for a while. What harm could it do?"

"A lot," Gustavo muttered and Kelly elbowed him again. He motioned towards Kelly. "See?" Ronan rolled his eyes and Kacy couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"I didn't mean to crash your party," Robert said waving his hands in the air in a sarcastic manner. "I know when I'm not wanted." He then eyed Ronan warily. "Enough to get the police called on me."

"I need to talk to you," Ronan instantly said, getting to his feet.

"I figured you would," Robert replied, quirking an eyebrow, doing the same. He then followed the younger man out of the main area and towards the bathroom. "Don't think you can talk your way out of this."

"I didn't go to the police about this," Ronan said and Robert snorted. "Seriously, I didn't."

"I don't know whether or not I should believe you despite it possibly being true," Robert commented with a brief roll of his eyes. "Imagine my shock when I opened the front door to my home and an off duty police officer, a _just getting_ off duty police officer, was standing on my doorstep. If you did have anything to do with it, I don't have a big problem with it."

"What?" Ronan asked, blinking in surprise.

"You don't think I don't realize that my kids like you more than me?" Robert asked with a small laugh. "God, why do you think I always shove their ugly little faces on you?"

"You mean apart from when you get tired of bashing their faces in?" Ronan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Ronan, it's like I've said before, a little discipline keeps these kids in line," Robert said with a weird laugh, sliding his hands into his pockets. He started rocking back and forth on his heels. "It's never hurt anybody."

"You're even more diluted than I thought if you honestly think that what you're doing is ok," Ronan said with a heavy sigh. "So, what is this all about then? Just a ruse to show that nothing's going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Robert replied with a shrug. "My kids are rambunctious; they run around, get in trouble, rough house things kids their age do." He then looked around and stepped closer to the music producer, lowering his voice. "I dare you to prove there's anything else."

He then lifted his hand, patting Ronan on the cheek, each hit getting a little harder. Ronan slapped his hand away and let out a heavy sigh, blowing his long hair off his forehead, as Robert left the area. He watched as the man excused himself, giving a brief wave of farewell before making his way out of the restaurant.

Ronan scratched at his forehead as he made his way back to the table.

"That guy is seriously going to make me punch him one day," Gustavo loudly commented. "If he wasn't so…so—"

"Robert-ish?" Kelly supplied and Gustavo snapped his fingers, nodding.

"Right, if he wasn't so Robert-ish, I think we could actually be…._friends_," Gustavo said through clenched teeth, practically choking on the word. He then quickly grabbed his coffee, chugging it, swallowing thickly. "Don't think I could ever get _those_ words out of my mouth."

"The most important thing here, is that someone else knows about it," Ronan said quietly, gaining attention from all of them. "He said a police officer came to his house."

"I didn't say anything," Kelly said, putting her hands up defensively. Gustavo made a grunting sound, shaking his head and Ronan turned towards Kacy.

"I didn't say anything either," she replied, "honestly. To be honest, with how Riley acted when I suggested that she didn't have to be so motherly with her brother, I didn't think it would've been a great idea."

"No, yeah, I get that," Ronan replied with a heavy sigh. "Then if none of us said anything, who did?"

There was silence at the table. Kelly stirred her soon in her coffee, Gustavo held the annoyed look on his face, and Kacy went back to her phone.

Ronan ran his hands over his face. It really could be anyone; a neighbor who's seen some stuff going on, someone who's been around the Jacksons who was on the outside looking in, maybe it was their doctor; Ronan had heard their hushed voices and concerned whispers. Whoever it was, he wanted to thank them for helping, but at the same time, he was afraid that it just made things worse.

"Uh," Kacy spoke up, lowering her phone. "Kendall…" she swallowed thickly and then pressed her lips together when Gustavo's phone rang.

"Yeah?" he all but shouted into his phone. His eyebrows shot up as whoever it was on the other end talked to him. "Mhm? Ok. Thanks." He then snapped his phone shut, removing his sunglasses to look everyone in the eye as a slow smile came to his face. "Looks like we're halfway there."

"Which means?" Ronan asked, motioning for Gustavo to elaborate.

"Their demos were picked," Gustavo replied and Kelly punched the air with her fists. "We're staying in LA, baby! Te dogs are making an album." His smile then faded fast. "Ugh, which means I have to deal with _him_ more."

Ronan chuckled, shaking his head before turning towards Kacy, who looked like she was trying to decide between being elated and being worried.

* * *

Patrick drummed his fingernails on the table at Froyo Life as he watched everyone finish their desserts. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to be spending time with all of them, because he would rather be there than at his home, trying to avoid his dad when he came home, but he didn't think _everyone_ would've gone to get frozen yogurt. He had really just asked Jo to go, kind of latching Katie onto it so it wouldn't be so weird.

He liked Jo, that much was obvious to him. But, he didn't really know anything about her; just that she was pretty and she had a nice smile and that he would like to have that smile directed at him. He didn't have a problem with Jo inviting Camille, she seemed happy enough, but then Camille invited Logan, and Logan invited his friend and Riley and Rhuben and then Dak and Lizzie came and they had a chunk of the corner to themselves, talking and laughing with each other.

It was weird, being around so many people and being comfortable with them. Only once or twice did he have the odd sensation of being watched or was paranoid enough to suddenly look around, making sure he had a way out, or to see if someone was indeed watching them. He didn't ay too much attention on it, because he was paying attention to Jo…who wasn't paying that much attention to him.

And that sucked.

He reached over to Sydney's cup of yogurt and grabbed some Fruit Loops, popping it into his mouth, ignoring his brother's noise of protest. Something then suddenly slapped his arm."What is that?" he asked, taking it out of Sydney's hands. A small smile came to his face when he saw the Spider-Man comic in his hands. "Is this for Kendall?"

"Mhm," Sydney replied with a nod. "I got it from that antique store. Do you think he'll like it? It's to thank him for the other day."

"Only one way to find out," Patrick replied, looking over at Kendall, who was saying something to Jo, making her laugh. "Come on, Little Man." He pushed his chair back, getting to his feet and pulling out Sydney's chair. He then walked over to the table that Kendall, Jo, Logan, and Camille were sitting at. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's ok," Camille replied with a smile. "What's up?"

Sydney tugged on Kendall's shirt sleeve a few times before Kendall turned to face him. He then handed him the comic book and a smile crossed Kendall's face. "Is this for me?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sydney replied with a nod.

"Oh, well, I already have this issue," Kendall replied.

"Oh," Sydney said with a small frown, his shoulders slumping. Patrick draped his arms over his brother's shoulders, pulling him back against his chest.

"No, it's ok, it's just…" Kendall trailed off for a moment, "my dad used to buy me comic books all the time." Patrick's eyebrows knitted together slightly at the far off look in Kendall's eyes. "Actually, he kind of bribed me with them."

"Mine too," Sydney replied and Patrick nodded, putting his chin on top of Sydney's head. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, Jo? How're you liking the fro-yo?"

"It's good," Jo replied, "better than I thought. I'm glad you suggested coming."

"Well, I'm—" they all jumped when Carlos suddenly let out a loud scream, jumping out of his chair, knocking it over. He had his phone to his ear, eyes wide and wild looking.

"Carlos, what the heck?" Kendall asked.

"Dude, calm down," Logan hissed, looking embarrassed. Carlos let out another scream and Patrick slapped his hands over his ears at the loud yell. Suddenly he was lifted off the ground in a tight hug from Carlos.

"Oh my god, putmedownputmedwnputmedown," Patrick said, slapping at Carlos's hands. He practically fell to the floor when Carlos suddenly let him go. "Boofhead."

"James! Dude, you'll never fucking believe this!"Carlos said, hurrying over to his friend. James was staring wide-eyed at his friend, looking like he was silently willing his friend to shut up. Carlos was now cackling with laughter.

Riley, who was sitting at James's table, gave him an odd look, pressing her lips tightly together, arms crossed over her chest, rubbing an ram with her hand. "What's up Carlos?"

Carlos grinned at them both but his eyes locked with James's. "I just got a call from Griffin." Everyone seemed to tense up as soon as the words left his mouth. The room was dead silent as the group all stared at Carlos, as did the other patrons; but they were looking at him as if he was crazy. "They want to continue with our album. Our demos got picked! We got it, man. Your dream is coming true. Big Time Rush is still going."

James let out an odd laugh before a smile worked his way onto his face. "Are you serious?"

Carlos laughed again before grabbing James in a bear hug, practically pulling him out of his chair. "Yes! Can you fucking believe it? We're staying in California. We're staying! We're staying!"

"We got it," James repeated as he got to his feet. He then started laughing as well, jumping up and down. "I'm staying. My dream is coming true." He then rushed over to Kendall practically tackling him out of his chair. "And it's all thanks to you."

"Yeah, yeah, just get off me," Kendall said, making a face a the hot breath that tickled his ear. But, James held on. Kendall set his jaw before driving his elbow into James's stomach. "Dude, _get off_!" James instantly let go, and the two of them go to their feet. James rubbed his stomach. "Sorry."

"What gives, man?" James asked.

"Sorry," Kendall repeated. "I get you're happy, and so am I, I just didn't expect that." He cracked a grin. "It was worse than being checked into the boards."

"Sorry, dude," James replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "But, I really have you to thank for this. So…thanks."

"You're welcome," Kendall replied. He then turned back towards his table. "So…we're staying."

"That's awesome, I'm so happy for you guys," Camille said as she scooped a hunk of chocolate out of her fro-yo.

"That's great," Jo agreed, reaching out of her hand to gently squeeze Kendall's wrist. "I'm proud of you guys."

"Yeah, it's great," Patrick muttered. He then straightened and looked over at Kendall. "You thought what we've done before was hard…you haven't seen hard work, yet."

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Logan asked with a grimace. Patrick cracked a smile.

* * *

**A/N: **And the next chapter moves into Big Time Party. This chapter was really just setting up for that. Hope you guys liked it anyway.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	28. Life is a Party (Part I)

**~28~**

"And cowboy step to the right," Rhuben called out above the loud music swinging out her left arm, indicating for the Big Time Rush boys to move in the mirror direction to her as she watched them dance, "and James and Carlos, cowboy step to the left _behind_ Kendall and Logan." She snapped her fingers to the beat of the music. "Fall in line…back step five times, cross leg, spin pose—LOGAN! FOR THE THOUSAND-BILLIONTH TIME-"

"You know that's not a real number," Logan pointed out, a 'duh' look on his face. Rhuben stopped pacing, raising her eyebrows as she gave Logan a hard stare. He nervously cleared his throat. "Sorry, continue with your rant, please."

"Thank you," Rhuben replied calmly. "_Don't__ throw your arms out during the cross leg spin pose_!"She ran her hand over her face, making a noise of annoyance. "I don't think Patrick will be that understanding if you break his nose. I mean you already gave him a nose bleed."

"I dwear, I'b bine," Patrick replied, sitting in the corner of the room. His head was tilted back and he had a tissue shoved up his nose. Noah was sitting beside him, helping him hold up the tissue.

"Yeah, I mean, Noah would be in the same predicament, if he didn't have fast enough reflexes to duck," Riley added.

"Sorry, sorry," Logan replied, a pained expression on his face.

"Whose idea was it to hire Rhuben to replace Mr. X as our choreographer?" Carlos whispered under his breath. "She's just as bad as Gustavo."

"Only she's a girl," Kendall added.

"And she's hot," James said with a nod.

"I heard that," Rhuben snapped. "But, thanks for the compliment, James."

"Anytime, Beautiful," James replied flashing her a charming smile. Despite Rhuben's annoyance, she couldn't help but let a smile come to her face. Logan raised his eyebrows at the exchange.

"Ok, you guys should take a break," Riley called clapping her hands together. She put her hand up in Rhuben's face when she saw the look of protest on it. "You're going to run them to the ground if you don't let them have at least ten minutes to rest." A thoughtful look crossed Rhuben's face as if she was considering doing just that. "Don't even think about it, sis." Rhuben smirked as Riley put her arm aroud her sister's shoulders.

"I now see where the term blood, sweat, and tears comes from," Carlos groaned, dropping to the ground..

"It's a good thing none of you guys have ever said the words 'I can't," Sydney said, his dimples appearing in his cheeks as he gave his friend a smug smile, handing him a towel. "How old are you?"

"16, why?" Carlos asked, peering up at him.

"Because if you said anything along the lines of 'I can't' then Rhu-Rhu would have you doing sixteen push ups," Noah replied getting to his feet.

"Sixteen push ups isn't so bad," Kendall said with a shrug before taking a large swing from his water bottle.

"Well, let me tell ya, you start hating your age after you have to do those sixteen push ups, _each and every _time you say those two hell words," Riley said rolling her eyes, bumping her sister's hip with her own before removing her arm from her twin's shoulders. "I swear, my sister is a nazi." She let out a 'hey' of protest when Rhuben aimed a kick at her butt.

"How can you be so pretty, but such a control freak when it comes to dancing?" James asked, looking up at Rhuben.

"I could probably ask you the same thing about your obsession with your hair," she shot back. "What's with all of the compliments today?"

"Not any different than any other day, Beautiful," James replied, "maybe you're just noticing them." He smiled at her and Rhuben exchanged glances with Riley. She then walked over to the large system on the wall, punching the OFF button with her thumb before turning to face Dak who was sitting against the wall.

"So, what'd you think?" Rhuben asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"You know this isn't my forte," Dak said, looking first at Rhuben, then to the four boys, and then back at the girl.

"What, dancing?" Logan asked, using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Dak's jaw dropped slightly as he looked over at Logan before getting to his feet. "No, criticizing people," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He tilted his head to the side. "First time for everything right?" He put a finger to his chin. "Ok, let's see…first, you were off a half beat for the whole song because you messed up right out of the gate, you need to work on your facial expressions because it seems that you have a big question mark on your forehead—"

"Last I checked, _Bella_ was the one who was entitled to give us criticism," Logan said with an edge to his tone, looking over at Rhuben.

Dak put his hands up defensively. "Believe it or not, that's why I was called here today," he commented, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, as if he was looking for proof to back him up. "And, yes, your kind of dancing is different than the dancing that I do—"

"If you could call it that," Logan muttered.

"Stop," Rhuben said, rubbing at her temples, an annoyed look on her face.

Logan quickly muttered an apology. It wasn't that he didn't like Dak, it was just that he had an odd feeling about him. He had somewhat of an arrogant air to him. He couldn't figure out if he was actually that way due to his years and years of success in all fields of performance, or if it was just a joke, or what. But, he wanted to try and get to know Dak, after all, he _was _Rhuben's friend out in LA for a couple years now and what better way to reconnect with an old friend than being friends with her new one?

And he wasn't normally a jealous person; at least he wouldn't ever really say he was a jealous person, but it was hard to have to try so hard to be friends with his old friends again, and they could easily be friendly and open around someone else they only knew for three years.

"He _is _right, though," Rhuben said, motioning towards Dak. "You were off a half-beat throughout the entire song." She then turned towards Carlos. "I'm going to have to suggest you take your helmet off when you perform."

Carlos whimpered, putting his hands to his helmet. "Noooo," he whined, stomping his foot, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know you have an…odd…attachment to your helmet," Rhuben said, patting Carlos's shoulder and he pouted even more, "but it's _really _throwing off your movement. Every. Single. One." Carlos stuck his lip out even farther. "You'll be more aerodynamic without it."

Carlos widened his eyes. Rhuben's upper lip curled slightly when Carlos made the sound of a hurt puppy. She slapped a hand to her forehead before sliding it down her face, covering her mouth. He then grinned. "Did I see a smile?" he asked, pointing a finger at her. "I did, didn't i?"

"Get your finger out of my face," Rhuben said, pushing his hand away. "James, you were—"

"Perfect, as usual?" James said with a grin, adjusting his t-shirt.

"You need to stop throwing your 'microphone' from one hand to the other in between lines," Rhuben said, grasping his wrist, moving his water bottle up towards his mouth. "Keep it right in front of your mouth otherwise your words will be drawn out."

"When your arm gets tired, then you can switch hands," Dak commented, miming the movement he was referring to. "If not, then your voice, no matter how well this microphone can pick it up, will be cut out. You have a strong voice James, which is great—"

"Why thank you," James said with a grin.

"But, you can't just have a strong voice and expect to get by," Dak finished. He glanced over at Logan, who looked like he was going to say something, but just shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"And me?" Kendall asked quietly.

"Tell me when you're free to have extra rehearsal time," Rhuben replied and Kendall frowned. "It's not that you're not doing a great job, I mean you picked up the last combination faster than Carlos and Logan." Kendall attempted a smile. "I just want to be sure you can get this."

"With your album officially getting green lit," Dak said and he paused to start clapping and the Jacksons joined him; James bowed a few times, "it's essential that you start performing perfectly. Extra rehearsals aren't going to hurt."

"You'd have to ask my mom about that," Kendall said, scratching the side of his jaw, "or you could go and yell it out with Gustavo."

"Considering I still have my own studio work I have to do today, I'll just talk to your mom," Rhuben said with a short laugh. She then looked over at Dak. "Although, we both know in a fighting match between me and Gustavo, I'd win."

"Of course with your good looks and sparkling personality, there's no way he could deny any yelled request from you," Dak said with a teasing smile and roll of his eyes. The two of them laughed when Rhuben shoved his shoulder. Dak held up his fist and Rhuben bumped the back of his hand with her own fist and then the two of them popped out their thumb and pinkie fingers, shaking their hands back and forth.

"If you two would stop flirting for five seconds," Riley said with an over the top smile, flicking Dak's nose as she reached his side, "We need the guys in the studio." She turned to face Big Time Rush. "Patrick and Noah will be helping you with writing before Dak warms you up with vocals and then we start recording. Soon, Sydney will start showing you how to mastr the final cuts of songs. So let's head over and get started."

"True, we can't waist anytime, you all have an album to make," Patrick said, carefully removing the tissue from his nose. "You all did a good job today, really."

Rhuben patted Kendall's back as he moved to get his bag. "You, too."

"Thanks," Kendall replied with a nod, digging through his bag to get a towel. He shouldered his bag and wiped the towel over his face and across his shoulders. "I know I could do better, though. My brains can get the steps, my body just can't."

"It wasn't easy for you to learn to skate was it?" Riley asked with a snort. "What makes you think this would be so easy?"

"Are you kidding?" James asked, clapping Kendall on the back. "Danny Craven's sixth birthday party was held at the ice rink…he was a giant walking, talking bruise."

"James split his lip open and for a moment in his life, he wasn't perfect," Kendall pointed out and James elbowed him in the side. James elbowed Kendall back. They all left the dance studio and Rhuben switched off the lights, closing and locking the door behind them. "So, Dak, overall, how well do you think we're doing?"

"If you're doing a five song set, for like an opening act for example, you're in good shape," Dak said, stretching his arms over his head. He then draped his arm around Rhuben's shoulders who rolled her eyes, quirking an eyebrow, before removing his arm.

"But?" Logan prompted, shaking his head when James immediately took advantage of Rhuben's shoulders being free and put his arm around her shoulders, shooting Dak a mock glare. "James, do you even know which one she is?"

"Yeah, she's Beautiful," James replied, giving him a look that clearly read 'duh' as he pulled Rhuben to his side.

Logan shook his head again; rolling his eyes as Rhuben pushed James away, laughing a little bit. James shrugged and then put his other arm around Riley's shoulder, pulling her to his side. "Dak, what were you saying?"

"For a five song set, you're doing great, but you'd be performing hour, hour and a half, maybe even pushing two hour shows," Dak replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "You're improving, but you're not ready for that yet, but you shouldn't be at this time. However, at this point you haven't even started planning for tour and everything, so you're moving in the right direction. But, it was a good thing that these guys forced you to continue training during your break or we'd have a lot to help you out with."

"But, that just means you'd get to see our bright shining faces even more so than usual," Carlos said with a bright smile.

"Oh joy," Riley deadpanned.

"Come on, Landy," Logan said, giving her a peaceful smile. "You know hanging out with us is a lot more fun than being stuck in a studio all day." He shifted his bag on his shoulder, glancing over at Dak. "So, Friday; bowling? Ice cream? Pier? It's yours and Rhubes turn to choose."

"Actually, we wanted to treat you guys to go karts," Sydney said to the four boys who suddenly looked excited. "Dad would be paying for everything. Think of it as a 'congratulations' type of thing."

"That sounds—" Carlos stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked around. James, Kendall, and Logan did the same and Carlos loudly sniffed the air a couple of times.

"_I smell party_," they all shouted before shoving past Dak and Rhuben, rushing down the hall.

"I have no doubt they're hockey players now," Patrick said, rubbing his shoulder, which collided with the wall. "That was a hard check if I've ever seen one."

"Don't start," Noah groaned, picking himself up off the floor, rubbing his butt. "Kendall uses hockey terms enough as it is, we don't need you to do it, too."

"Those hoons are asking for it," Rhuben muttered, shaking her head. She took Dak's hand, allowing her to be pulled to her feet. "They're not going to be successful at all if they keep joking around."

"Relax, they're still just getting used to things," Dak replied, "and if I remember correctly, you all used to laugh and joke around while working too."

"That was before," Riley muttered. "Let's go see what the boofheads are so excited about." They all followed the sound of voices through the halls of Rocque Records until they found the source; a group of people were transforming one of the smaller rooms of Rocque Records into an area for a party. White table cloths were being spread out over tables, and flower pieces were being set up on tables. "Impressive."

"Hey," Kendall said as the four boys hurried over to Gustavo and Kelly. "What's going on?"

"Please tell us it's a party," James and Carlos said in unison.

"It is the Big Time Rush party celebrating the making of your new album," Kelly said with a smile as she looked up from the binder she held in her arm. She winced, closing her eyes when the four boys started cheering.

"Noo," Gustavo loudly called, stopping them from celebrating. "You're not invited."

"What?" the four boys asked in unison. "Why?"

"See, I told you, they all share a brain," Riley said under her breath and Dak and her siblings laughed quietly.

"One; it's a _classy _party for executives only," Gustavo replied, "two; I don't need dogs around playing with their food."

"We don't play with food," Kendall and Logan protested.

Kelly sighed heavily. "James and Carlos, turn around," she said, looking over to where Jmes and Carlos were bent over a table of food. Kendall groaned when he saw that they had sushi over their eyes and carrots were sticking out of their noses and mouths, and they were making growling sounds. "Case and point."

"Wait, wait, wait," Carlos said as he spat the carrots out of his mouth. "How can you have a Big Time Rush party without Big Time Rush?"

"Is it still too late to change their band name?"Riley asked, scratching at a spot behind her ear.

"Don't worry boys, you'll be here in spirit," Kelly reassured the boys, "in cut out form." Gustavo motioned to the corner of the room where a Big Time Rush cardboard cut out sat.

"Well, we're staying," Kendall said, crossing his arms over his chest. His friends followed suit.

"Bad idea," Dak muttered.

"_Fine_," Gustavo snapped.

"_Fine_," the boys shouted back.

"Real bad idea," Patrick said, dabbing at his upper lip with the bottom of his shirt to check for blood.

"Fine," Gustavo repeated, waving his hand. Some music started playing as a box labeled, Super Paty Fun Box, was wheeled in to the room. "You can stay, but do _not _go into my Super Party Fun Box."

"Not the box," Noah said, making a face.

"They don't stand a chance," Sydney said, shaking his head back and forth. Gustavo narrowed his eyes at the four boys before hurrying off. "Should we tell them?"

"No," Riley and Rhuben replied in unison.

"Palm Woods?" Dak asked, scratching his chin and the two girls nodded as they watched the boys cram into the box. The men who wheeled the box in closed the door and quickly locked it, wheeling them out of the room. "Well there goes studio work for the day. Although with them, I'm not really surprised about that." He then turned to look at the Jacksons.

"What?" Riley asked, arching an eyebrow.

Dak shrugged. "Nothing," he replied. "I just haven't heard you knock the new guy in a while."

"Aww, you're just jealous we're not giving you attention anymore," Rhuben said in a baby tone as she reached up to pinch his cheek. Dak chuckled, knocking her hand away.

"I think I just have to be careful or my spot as friend will be in jeopardy," Dak replied. Riley shoved his shoulder, shaking her head.

"No one's complaining about that," Rhuben commented.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys, swinging them around his finger as he stuck his tongue out at her. "So, are we headed to the Palm Woods or what?"

* * *

"So, I've been thinking of bringing up the idea of going back to Australia to my kids," Robert said, leaning against the wall behind him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ronan, who was sitting in his cushy chair in his office at Blazing Phoenix Records, set down the newspaper that was in his hands and slowly turned to face the man, crossing one leg over the other. He didn't say anything at first. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Robert agreed with a nod. "But, after the tour and everything here. I think it'd be best for them to work on their music back at home. They're more comfortable there and—"

"And you don't want to have anything else to do with Gustavo after this," Ronan said, scratching at the side of his head. He peered up at Robert. "Or me."

"Well now that we're on the subject, I think it'd be beneficial for you to keep your business here and we'll go ahead and stick with Alan MacIntyre back in Australia," Robert commented.

Ronan felt his jaw tighten as he clenched his hands into fists by his side. He saw this coming sooner or later. Robert was the type to threaten you with things for him to get things to go his way and Ronan couldn't deny that he fell victim to it a couple of times in his career. But, he had a bad feeling about it this time. Something warned him that what Robert was saying…he wouldn't hesitate to do. And while Ronan _did_ want to keep his job as it was an easy way for him to keep an eye on his kids, he also thought that his job wasn't worth it. He got verbal abuse from the guy left and right, but he stayed because of his kids and because he was contracted to.

It was tough and annoying from time to time how he wasn't allowed to branch off and work with other bands just because he was contracted to work with the Jacksons. That's not to say he wasn't happy with all their success, and in return his own success, but even he wanted to start working with new people and showing that he wasn't just playing favorites with the band he was working with now. For all the good news he got for his work, there was equally some bad news behind it with people wondering why it was that he stayed solely with the Jacksons. Not only was it hard to read those articles, but it was hard to turn down the hopefuls who wanted to sign with him.

But, when it all came down to it, he couldn't deny that he wouldn't be anywhere without Robert.

"And what do your kids think?" Ronan asked.

"They think it's a good idea to go back to Australia," Robert replied, adjusting his tie, "and as you know, I agree with them."

Ronan wasn't sure if he really believed Robert. His gut told him that Robert was lying, but at the same time, he had a good oker face and in general he could get what he wanted, despite having people protest against him. If he wanted his kids o go back to Australia and work with other people, then he would get it. In the business sense, Ronan could see how going back to Australia would be a good move. They had an established fan base there that was anxious to hear their new music and for them to tour, they were still building things in America and while they were generating some buzz, it was still a long way to go.

"I get what you're saying," Ronan said slowly, "but I can't let them go knowing that you're going to continue to hurt them. Not like that."

"If they don't step out of line, then they don't have to worry about it," Robert shrugged.

_Yeah, because it's that simple_, Ronan thought with a roll of his eyes. He could see that Robert hadn't done anything ina while but there was easily a chance that he could relapse. Or maybe they had just gotten really good at hiding what was going on. He knew the kids well enough that he knew their mannerisms , but even they could outwit him every once in a while.

"That's not something I'm willing to risk," Ronan shook his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" Robert demanded. "You realized you're not only putting my career but yours in jeopardy? Not to mention Gustavo and Kelly and the careers of the star eyed boys who want this really badly? " Ronan pressed his lips together. "I don't know why, but over the course of the months they've spent out here, while they've had little interaction with you, they've grown to like you and my kids. A little too much if you ask me."

"How is it bad for your kids to be friends with them?" Ronan asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "They're friends with Dak Zevon in case you forgot."

"Dak Zevon had his career started and mapped out before those boys got here," Robert pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

"The two bands are essentially doing the same thing," Ronan pointed out. "You can't hate someone you work with all the time; you eventually learn to like them. You eventually become friends with them because you're striving for the same goal and you're going about it the same way. They're helping Big Time Rush the same way Dak helped them start out. Your kids and Big Time Rush click whether you want to admit it or not. Whether _they_ want to admit it or not."

"As for what I think I'm doing, I'm doing what is right. I wasn't the one who called the police on you but I should have. I can't just sit by and watch you do what you do to your kids. I care about them and their careers, just like you. You're not going to hurt them anymore. I won't let you."

Robert chucked crossing his arms over his chest. "You won't let me," he repeated. "There isn't any way you can stop me really." He licked his lips before pushing himself up off of the wall. He walked towards Ronan and leaned forward, resting his hands on the arm rests of Ronan's chair, getting in his face. "If they do find me guilty, the kids will just go back into the orphanage or into foster care. And they'll hate you."

"Hate me?" Ronan repeated, his eyebrows shooting up. Robert chuckled.

"Let's face it, the girls are too old to be adopted by a family," Robert replied. Ronan winced at the stench of alcohol on his breath. "Patrick and Noah are getting there, a family could still adopt them. And Sydney is 9, he could still be picked out by a family. Now, if that happens, they'll all be split up. And I know you don't want that to happen with them."

"…You're right, I don't," Ronan agreed nodding. He then got to his feet, forcing Robert to straighten, stepping back a few steps, and straightened his tie. He cleared his throat. "But, I'll do whatever I can to keep them happy and safe…even if that means adopting them myself."

"You?!" Robert's eyes popped open. He stood up and threw his head back and laughed. He laughed his way out of the room. Ronan let out a heavy sigh, and rubbed his forehead. He dropped back into his chair, shaking his head before turning towards his computer when he heard the familiar ring of his Skype.

He saw that it was Arthur Griffin that was calling him and he felt even more annoyed. It wasn't that he didn't like Griffin, it was that he'd rather put some distance between him and the older man. Griffin was, to put it simply, weird, and he had weird ideas about everything. Usually when Griffin called, it was because you were doing something wrong or just something he thought he could change for himself. And he was starting to bleed into Ronan's work, despite working at Rocque Records. But then again, it was _his _idea to have the two bands work together.

"Hey, Griffin," he greeted answering the call, watching as a box with a picture of Griffin sitting at his desk smiling happily at him appeared on his screen.

"Ronan, I'm glad I was able to catch you," Griffin said with a bright smile. "I hope this isn't a bad time or anything. "I wanted to get your opinion on Big Time Rush; have they improved? Do you think they have things under control?"

Ronan ran a hand over his face before grabbing his computer and rested it on his lap, tilting his computer screen back. "From what I've seen, things are going well," Ronan replied, stretching his arms over his head before clasping them back behind his head. "Gustavo, Kelly, Kacy and I have had regular meetings to figure out how things are going. We're going to pitch the idea of the band co-writing a song together."

"But, we've already got writers, McGuire," Griffin said with a shake of his head. "And while I'm sure your band will do a great job as they always do, I'm aware that they're musical interests aren't the same as Big Time Rush's. Now, I already know we're taking a risk with them, but maybe they could co-write with Vampirah."

"I assure you that if you allow them to write a song together, it'll be a hit," Ronan commented. "Just think, two new bands who are working together to try and make in American write a song together. It'd be good marketing and it'll also go well with the 'pay it forward' thing we're trying to do as my kids can help Big Time Rush learn how to write a song."

"I'm just saying, why fix what ain't broke?" Griffin asked, leaning back in his chair. "They already have hits based on what our writers have already written for them. And this _is _Gustavo's last chance…"

_If I didn't know any better, I 'd say you wanted Gustavo out_, Ronan thought dryly. He knew that Griffin had a point, but he had a good feeling about them writing songs together. And he had an ulterior motive to it. He could tell that his kids were warming up to the boys, and having friends and living a normal life was something they wanted despite loving performing for people. What's a better way to do that than by making them work together? Of course he knew he was also risking the fact that there could be some fights and Big Time Rush would walk out with more injuries than they could get in any average ice hockey game.

But, if Big Time Rush wasn't a success, Gustavo's career was basically over. This was his comeback moment and he had to do it right. That wasn't going to work well at all if after the release of their first album and their tour if the Jacksons went back to Australia. They were contracted to help with two CDs, which in essence with technology these days, could be done in some way, shape, or form, but from Ronan's experience, hands on was the best way to go.

"I just watched to check in to see how things were going," Griffin said over Ronan's silence. "It was nice talking to you."

"Yeah, you too," Ronan replied. There was a beeping sound and the call was disconnected.

* * *

"We _have_ to throw a party," James said as he paced around the crib. "We're teenagers. If we don't party, _we could die_."

"A little dramatic there, bud," Dak said, clapping James on the shoulder. "But, trust me, you're really not missing anything at that party."

"It's filled with hoity-toity people who look down their long, beak-like noses talking about how their clients are better than yours," Patrick added.

"And this is around stuffing their faces with food," Rhuben continued.

"And throwing their heads back and giving hearty, snooty laughs," Riley concluded. "And you have to dress up and make small talk with a bunch of idiots who most likely don't care about a thing you say." She waved her hand in the air. "All in all, you dodged a bullet there."

"We can't party at the Palm Woods," Kendall said. "You saw the two strikes on the door and you heard what my mom said. No parties."

"All the more reason to have one," Patrick said with a shrug and Noah smiled.

"My point is, no one said that we couldn't have a 'get together'," Kendall said, using air quotes around the word.

"_Or _a social gathering," Logan added with a grin.

"Hark, doth mine ears deceive me?" Rhuben asked, cupping a hand around her ear. "Logan actually _wants_ to break the rules?"

"Looks like LA is changing him for the better," Dak commented, smiling in amusement. Logan's upper lip curled slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"James, Carlos, you two transform 2J into a cool club-like atmosphere," Kendall said, crossing his arms over his chest, a smirk coming to his face. "And get some snacks and sodies."

"Sodies?" Riley repeated, snorting.

"And we keep the guest list short," Logan said, "say…three people each? Which is not a party, but a get together."

James grinned as he stepped over to Riley and Rhuben, putting his arms around his shoulders. "I've got two guests right here…and Jo can be my third."

"What about us?" Sydney asked with a pout.

"I don't want to date you," James replied, giving him an odd look and Sydney rolled is eyes.

"And _I'm _going to go down to the pool right now and invite Jo," Kendall said, turning to face James and James glared back at him. "Because…I've kinda got a thing for her," Kendall said.

"Since when?" Patrick asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, I mean…I have a _thing_ for _her_," Kendall replied, looking over at the younger teenager. "Like a corkscrew thing." He waved his hand in the air. "So, you guys in? Party? Riley and Rhuben could be James's dates—"

"Yeah, right," the two girls said in unison, removing James's arms.

"Come on, ladies, I know you can't resist my charm," James said with a smile as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You'll come around eventually." He then clapped his hands together. "Let the party planning commence."

_When you work hard, it's only fair that you party hard._

* * *

**A/N: **Big Time Party is one of my favorite episodes so I'm glad to be getting to it. As of now, Big Time Blogger, Big Time Terror, Big Time Dance, and Big Time Concert are the last episodes of season 1 I'll be using. (I'm debating on whether or not I use Big Time Video.) So, this fic is almost over in that case, but there's still a good chunk of original chapters left.

**Important Note: **It's getting increasingly frustrating how any idea I have I can fit into my series, especially when it comes to request fics. At the same time, you could easily that it's because Riles ad I wrote a really good timeline for our OCs/fics. That being said, i deleted _To Be With You _for that reason. I'm just looking for a REALLY good plot for a Lolla fic that's based around the timeline, but not part of the timeline. If that makes sense. Sorry to everyone who's already read and reviewed the fic and especially sorry to Rage-Against-Time.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	29. Life is a Party (Part II)

**~29~**

"So," Kendall said to Jo down at the Palm Woods pool deck, "we're having a small gathering, get together, like thing tonight—"

"You mean a party?" Jo corrected him and Kendall slapped his hand over her mouth. She widened her eyes before narrowing them into a pointed look and he gave her a sheepish grin, removing his hand. He looked around wildly.

"It's not a party," he insisted and she gave him a weird look but nodded. "So, I was wondering if…you'd be my guest…friend…person-thing?" Jo's lips twitched into a smile, but Kendall wouldn't let himself relax just yet.

He didn't just have a thing to give to her, he had a _thing _for her. It really seemed to come out of nowhere, his strong feelings for her. They hung out at the pool all the time, just talking and laughing and learning more about each other every day. They managed to actually go see a movie together like they had planned shortly after he found out that she didn't actually have a boyfriend, and things just went from there. He couldn't really explain their friendship as it just felt so smooth and natural; he couldn't deny that he had strong feelings for her since he met her, but he wanted to get to know more about her first before he really _officially _asked her out.

But, things were moving so fast, he didn't even know if what they had _was _a friendship anymore as with times like this, he started to get nervous around her, and act really weird without thinking. When it came down to it, he _really_ wanted her to be his date to the party. He couldn't deny that it was partially because he wanted to get to her before James did, but he wasn't going to say that to her, or even to James for that matter, because he knew a girl could be overly sensitive about stuff like that and because he knew he'd be the receiver of a death glare from James for all eternity. And getting over his nerves to kind of/sort of ask her out was bad enough.

"You mean your date?" Jo clarified for a second time.

_Yes. _Kendall gave a hint of a smile. "That's a term that could also be used," Kendall replied in a suave-like manner, using his fingers to make two guns, pointing them at her.

"So…" Jo said, getting to her feet, a thoughtful look on her face. "You want me to be your guest/friend/person-thing at your _non-_party?" She gave a short laugh, putting her hands into the air. "I'm just making sure I've got all the bases covered, here."

"Well, it's going to be _super_ fun and it starts at 7," Kendall replied. "What do you think?"

"Sounds…_super fun_," Jo replied, giving a double thumbs up. She laughed a little bit, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'd love to go, Kendall."

"Really?" Kendall asked, his eyes widening a little bit. He then scoffed. "Pffft. I mean, yeah, why wouldn't you go? You just said you'd love to so you'd love to." He quickly stopped himself from talking. "I'll see you later; gotta change the crib and everything."

He gave a short wave and turned around, letting out a breath of air, briefly closing his eyes, allowing his shoulders to drop. He then walked over to Logan, who was sitting at a table doing his homework, patting him on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Mission accomplished," Kendall said as he dropped into a seat across from Logan. "Jo said she'll be my guest/friend/person-thing to the party."

"You mean your date?" Logan asked, quirking an eyebrow, looking up from the book that was in his lap.

"Yyyyeah," Kendall slowly replied, nodding. "Yeah. She agreed to be my date. She's. My date. To the dance."

"And I don't suppose you could be any happier?" Logan asked.

"What's up, dude?" Kendall asked, and Logan closed his book with a sigh. "I thought you were all for this party."

"I am," Logan replied, resting his arms on the table. "I just want to get my homework down before we have the _get together_." He gave Kendall a pointed look and his friend rolled his eyes. "Besides, I have a lot of stuff on my mind, anyway."

That was an understatement. He had homework on his mind—and in essence his _friends' _homework as he knew they'd make him do it—and knowing that not only was Kendall beat around by his father when he was a kid, but his old friends, ones he was trying hard to re-connect with was going through the same thing, and he couldn't tell anyone about it.

Which was why he tried to go in a roundabout way about bringing his friends some help and that backfired in his face. Or maybe it didn't. Patrick did say that an off duty cop_ did _come to his house, but maybe that was a lie, just to make him feel bad. Maybe there _was _nothing going on. But his gut instinct told him that that wasn't the case. And it was what made him want to get as much proof as possible before he tried going to the police again.

He knew his friends thought he had been acting weird lately, but he just didn't know how to bring it up to them all without breaking his word to both of his friends. Kendall seemed scared and embarrassed about it, more so than he had ever seen his friend, even that one time at the Halloween Festival back in Minnesota when Kendall was the only one to get scared in the Haunted House…by a fake spider no less…_and _he screamed like a girl to beat. People called him Kendoll for _weeks_.

"How could you have a lot on your mind?" Kendall asked, "we're having a party to celebrate our album release because we can't go to the one at Rocque Records. _And _our friends are coming to the party."

"It's not that I'm not excited or anything," Logan replied, "you have a good enough reason; I mean _you _have a date—"

"Guest/Friend/Person-thing," Kendall replied and Logan rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," Logan replied. "I just keep thinking that we still have a long way to go with our album. I wonder if it's really a good time to party, that's all."

He actually didn't know how the Jacksons would act around people they didn't know and he was worried about it. They were standoff-ish with him and his friends even now despite seeming to be more comfortable around them, and he didn't really know if they were party people, and, and, and. A whole list of excuses and a whole list of thoughts and theories that really all came back to him.

How could he not know this was going on? Even as a kid, he could tell something had been weird between them, and he had even heard Robert yell at his kids every now and then, but he never saw him hit them. Maybe if he had paid more attention, they wouldn't be suffering through everything now. He _was _excited for the party, he just wanted to make sure everything was perfect and to do that, he had to get some things out of the way so he could solely focus his attention on his friends.

"I'm excited," Logan finally said and Kendall nodded.

"Well, I'm going to head back up and help everyone with decorating the apartment," Kendall replied, glancing at his watch. "We've only got a couple more hours until party time and knowing James, he's going to have a fashion crisis sooner or later."

Logan laughed a little bit, nodding in agreement. Kendall then gave a wave, heading back into the Palm Woods. He was barely into his homework when he was interrupted for a second time. But, he was happy with this interruption.

"Hey, Logie," Riley greeted him as she slid into the seat that Kendall had just left.

"Hey," he replied with a smile. "How are you?" Riley's eyebrows raised. "You guys doing ok?"

"If you're really asking what I _think_ you're asking, we're fine," Riley replied her eyes narrowing slightly and Logan nodded. Logan then noticed the pink cup that was sitting on the table. "It's Pink Passion Pit."

"You hate that flavor," Logan replied, "in fact, you hate smoothies. The closest thing to it you'll ever drink is a root beer float."

"It's for someone else," Riley replied. She then tilted her head to the side, peering at him. "So, are we going to talk about this or what?"

"Patrick told you that we talked," Logan said and Riley gave a slight nod. "Can't say I'm not surprised about that. I still remember that you guys tell each other everything." He gave her a pointed look. "Like where I kept my Ring Pops hidden."

"Hey, it was _your _fault to tell us where it was in the first place," Riley replied, leaning back in her chair, putting her hands up defensively.

He tilted his head from side to side. She did have a point. Back when they lived in Texas, his mom would buy him a box of Ring Pops—which was his favorite candy at the time—as a means of bribing him to be quiet whenever she had an important business call, and he would kind of use it to bribe the two girls to be friends with him. The Australian girls had never seen nor heard of the candy before as they didn't exist in their area of Australia, and soon they didn't exist for him either as they always stole them from him, one for each of the siblings; save for Sydney who didn't even have teeth at the time.

"So, you excited about the party?" Logan asked.

"Excited about the party; yes," Riley replied, "excited about James taking the time to hit on me every chance he gets…not really." She pursed her lips for a moment. "I don't know if he really likes me or if it's just because we're one of the first few California girls he's met and he thinks I'm hot."

Logan blinked in surprise. "Did you actually use the word 'hot'?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "You guys sure have changed."

"Life will do that to you, Logie-Bear," Riley replied, resting her chin in her palm as she propped her elbow up onto the table. Logan couldn't help but make a face at the nickname and Riley grinned at him, laughing a little bit. "Lighten up, Logan, it's not a bad nickname."

"It's terrible," Logan groaned, running a hand over his face. "You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?"

"Not if it makes you squirm this much," Riley replied, with a wink.

Logan chuckled, shaking his head. He couldn't understand how she could be so open and…normal around _him _if he was the only one there, but with anyone else, she could be guarded; as if having to choose her words carefully as if to check if anyone was going to judge her or…to see if they just wanted to stick around. Irony of the matter was that _she _wouldn't stick around, not if she kept Robert around without doing anything about it.

"Look, Riles," Logan started, rubbing at his temples.

"Mmmm, I knew it was only a matter of time until 'Serious-Logan' came around," Riley said, using air-quotes around the words, using her foot to tilt her chair back. "Can't say I didn't see it coming what with some revelations that have been floating around lately."

"Could you get serious for one moment?" Logan asked, getting straight to the point. He looked around for a moment. "Your dad."

"Yep?" Riey asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "What Logan? What do you want to tell me that I possibly don't already know?"

Logan's jaw dropped slightly as he looked at her. "If you don't tell anyone, I will," Logan replied after a moment of silence.

"You can't do that," Riley said simply, as if she was saying that he couldn't go into a door that only opened from the inside. "It'll ruin your careers much like it'll ruin ours."

"Is that the only thing you care about?" Logan asked and Riley snorted.

"Yeah, Logan, day in and day out I wonder how I'm going to get my name out there," Riley replied with a roll of her eyes. "Quite the contrary; I'm thinking about _you_. And James, and Carlos, and Kendall—" Logan tried not to show anything with his face, "when I say this. You've all worked hard; your demos _just_ got picked up."

"That's not as important and you know it," Logan pointed out.

Riley shrugged. "You don't know what you're talking about Logan," she said, suddenly looking bored. "Besides, dad knows that he has some anger issues and he's working on it."

"I don't buy that," Logan instantly replied. He sucked in a deep breath of air through his nose before letting out in a rush. "I've looked up this subject—"

"I'm not a subject, I'm your _friend_," Riley replied.

"Are you?" Logan asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "Because it seems like you haven't wanted anything to do with me since we got here."

"Yeah, because going to Runyon Canyon with you, movies, ice cream, and any other stuff we do on Friday night's isn't giving you any attention," Riley replied. "Or attention to our friendship? I've known you since you were nine; I couldn't just drop you like a hot potato."

_Yes, you could. If you were forced to. That's why you never wrote or called; right? _Logan twisted his mouth to the side, nodding his head. She had a point. They had been getting back into their friendship, but he didn't know that she—and Rhuben by extension—still considered him a friend. He was happy about it of course, but it was a surprise to him. A nice surprise. He couldn't help but let a smile come to his face. But, it slipped when he saw that she had changed the subject so easily.

"The thing is; I know you want to believe him—"

"I _do_ believe him," Riley interrupted him. She spread out her arms. Logan briefly closed his eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I care about you?" Logan replied as more of a question. She set the chairs of her legs to the floor. "If we went to the police, maybe we could work things out for you guys; I know you're scared of being split up—"

Riley slowly shook her head back and forth. "You want me to turn in my dad?" Riley asked. "Someone who's fed and bathed, and clothed us? What kind of person do you think I am?" Logan opened his mouth, but Riley continued talking. "You understand nothing."

"Landy," Logan said quietly and he saw her soften slightly at his nickname for her, "there isn't another option here."

"You promised my sister you wouldn't tell anyone," Riley pointed out to him.

"And I'm going to keep my promise," Logan replied, "because _you'd_ be the one talking. I can't stay out of this."

"Yes. You. Can," Riley said through clenched teeth, her Australian accent filling her voice with every word.

"No. I. Can't." Logan licked his lips and then swallowed. Her face was turning a light pink, her hands were clenching the arm rests of her chair. It looked like she was trying really hard not to yell at him.

"Yes you can, Logan, you just don't want to. Stop being a stickybeak. He could—"

"Come after me?" Logan asked quietly. "That's a risk I'm willing to take." He set his jaw. "You're scared."

"I'm not scared of anything," Riley hissed in reply. She then leaned back in her chair, her fingernails clicking against the metal arm rests. "Go invite Camille to the party." Logan blinked at the sudden change of topic. "I don't about you, but I intend to forget about this for one night and have fun. I want you to do the same." She then turned to face Camille. "Invitation for Rhubes and I to get ready in your apartment still open?"

"Uh, yeah, Camille, I'd be happy if you came to our get together," Logan said, keeping his eyes on Riley.

"In that case," Camille said with a smile as she got to her feet. She walked over to the raven haired girl and looped her arm through hers. Riley's eyebrows twitched. "Offer still stands, Riley."

Logan sighed, bringing the smoothie straw to his mouth, biting down on it.

* * *

"How about this one?" Jo asked, spinning in a circle, her arms out at her sides, showing off the grey-black tunic dress with light teal chrysanthemum flowers over dark wash jeans and flats. "Do you think this is _under_ dressed for a friend/guest/person-thing/date?"

"I think you're thinking too much about it," Rhuben said, looking up from where she was sitting cross legged on Camille's bed, turning through the pages of a shoe magazine. She didn't seem to be really looking at it as she turned a new page immediately after the one before it. Camille was at the mirror next to Jo, doing her make up, and Riley was looking through the hangers and hangers of clothes that Jo had brought to Camille's apartment. "He asked you on a date; plain and simple."

"Which is what makes this a little harder than usual," Jo replied, turning away from the mirror she and Camille where standing at. She grabbed handfuls of her hair. "Up or down?"

"Down," the three girls replied in unison.

"Here, try this," Riley suggested as she pulled a hanger out from the deep pile of clothes, revealing a white tunic dress with gold trim. "It goes with any eye color." She handed the hanger to Jo before reached for another hanger, this time revealing a flowery spaghetti strap dress. "Or his one; which…just suits your boring old personality."

"I'd have a comeback for you, but these choices are too good to warrant that," Jo said as she took the second hanger from Riley. She moved one top over her chest, before removing it and holding the second one. "You really _are_ good at this."

"It's my job," Riley replied with a one-shoulder shrug.

"I'm so jealous of you, by the way," Camille commented, as she rubbed a blush brush over her cheeks. "Of _both_ of you. Two different jobs, yet you get the chance to see the guys shirtless."

"Once you've seen one guy shirtless, you've seen 'em all," Rhuben replied and then paused for a moment.

"Save for James, his abs are impressive," Riley commented, "even _I _have to admit to that."

"Ok, you can't possible tell me you don't think he's cute," Jo said as she twisted her hair up into a bun. She turned back to face the mirror before her upper lip curled and she pulled out the elastic band, shaking her hair out.

"Or any of them for that matter," Camille added, slowly applying eyeliner.

"Truth," Jo agreed, tapping Camille on the shoulder with her finger. "Carlos is really funny, James has the great hair and awesome smile, Logan is sweet and smart, and Kendall is…Kendall. He's funny, outgoing, friends with everyone—" Riley snorted.

"A dork?" Rhuben asked. "I mean come on—" she pointed her index fingers on both hands at Jo and clicked her tongue before lowering her voice and saying, "_It's not a party. It's a non-party._"

"Shut up, that was cute," Jo protested, heading back over to the bed, finally deciding on the spaghetti strap dress.

"At least Kendall asked you out," Camille said with a sigh, lowering her eye pencil. "Do you think Logan and I would make a cute couple?"

"The cutest," Jo agreed with a nod.

"I kind of hate to ask this," Camille said with a sheepish grin into the mirror, "but there's nothing going on between you guys, right?" She looked over at Riley and Rhuben who stared back at her. "I know you've been friends for a while—"

"We haven't seen the guy since he was a sticky faced, booger eating, popsicle sucking, kid," Rhuben commented, her eyebrows raised. She laughed a little bit. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Just checking," Camille replied with a nod. She then grinned as she turned on the spot, shoving off her navy blue dress over her dark wash jeans and gold strapped heels. "He will be mine!"

* * *

"Guys," Kendall said slowly as he looked around the decorated apartment later that evening before looking over at Carlos and James who wore matching outfits; dark shoes, dark pants, white button down shirt, neck tie, and leopard print coats. "It's just a small gathering/get-together."

James let out a loud laugh. "Dude, we're not in Minnesota anymore," he protested, "_this _is the big leagues."

"Our Big Time Hollywood party cred starts, _tonight_," Carlos said as he and James pointed towards the floor. "We start small—" the two of them lifted a hand, their fore finger and thumb almost touching, "and we start hot." They then bumped fists.

"You two have been spending way too much time together," Logan commented, rubbing at his temples.

"And before you know it," James said, ignoring Logan, "we'll be known as the Hollywood Super Party Kings of Hollywood."

"_Whoop, whoop_," Carlos and James screeched together, 'raising the roof' with one hand.

"You said 'Hollywood' twice," Logan pointed out.

"You bet I did," James said with a grin.

"It makes your sentence redundant," Logan said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's either the 'Hollywood Super Party Kings' or the 'Super Party Kings of Hollywood.' I mean, you're—"

"No one cares, Logan," Kendall said, putting a hand in front of Logan's mouth, effectively stopping him form talking. He sighed. "As long as things run smoothly, and we can get this all cleaned up before mom and Katie get home from their trip to San Dieo, we should be good."

The boys exchanged excited looks when there was a knock on the door. "Party time!" they declared in unison.

* * *

**A/N: **I didn't intend for Big Time Party to be three chapters long, but what are you going to do? Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	30. Life is a Party (Part III)

**~30~**

"Is this really necessary?" Logan asked as he peered up at Camille who had all but tracked him down the minute she had made her way into the apartment, dipping him to peer into his eyes. He couldn't deny that she looked good, but he was trying to avoid her. Camille helped them out in a lot of sticky situations, but she was crazy.

He was flattered that she thought he was cute, but he was also kind of weirded out by the fact that she wasn't afraid to show her feelings towards him. If it was a kiss here, it was a slap there, of which eh preferred the ladder. All the attention was weird. He hadn't ever really had a girlfriend before, nor really asked anyone out, so to have someone chase after him so aggressively was new.

Scary, and kind of intriguing, but new.

Logan, and everyone else, had always considered himself to be a nerd, a geek, a bookworm. No one really saw anything about him that was attractive. Sure, he had gone on a few double dates with James, that James had set up, and he had a good time on them, but being set up with someone and asking someone out was completely different things.

"Necessary to get the chance to look into your eyes, Handsome," Camille replied, giving him a smile.

Logan gave a fleeting smile before throwing himself to the ground to get out of Camille's arms. He hurried onto the dance floor, grabbing Rhuben's arms, spinning her in a circle before he grasped her hands starting to dance with her. The Jacksons had shown up to the party without Dak and Lizzie as James had asked Logan to text Rhuben to un-invite them as he was worried, in his selfish way, that with the Teen Icon showing up, they wouldn't get the recognition and attention they deserved for their party.

Patrick and Noah were dancing in a group with a couple of girls who came to the party and Riley was standing in the corner with Guitar Dude, talking about…most likely guitars. Sydney was nowhere to be found, but Logan saw him go into his and Kendall's shared room as soon as he arrived, and guessed that the boy was looking at comic books.

Logan didn't think that what James did was all that fair, but he couldn't say he wasn't somewhat relieved that the actor wasn't there. He wouldn't ever really admit it, because Dak _was _friends with Rhuben, but Logan felt like he was getting in the way of him and his childhood friends from rekindling their old friendship. It was tough coming, but they were getting back to that old time and he enjoyed figuring out things they still did from when they were young or learning new things about them.

He wasn't saying that he didn't like that the two girls were friends with Dak Zevon; it was that he didn't really know Dak all that much to know _why _they were friends with him. The guy just kind of got on his nerves whenever he had to be in the same room with him for more than five minutes. He couldn't deny that he wouldn't be where he was without the Teen Icon helping him out and shaping his music career, but there was just something about him that rubbed him the wrong way. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"What?" Rhuben asked as they did the twist, dropping low to the ground.

"Well, you're a girl," Logan replied.

"Because the two lumps of fat on my chest say otherwise," Rhuben commented, as they did the twist to the floor, still holding hands before they got back up to their feet, continuing to dance.

"Yeah," Logan replied and Rhuben gave him a weird look. "It's Camille. She's—"

"Got the hots for you," Rhuben supplied.

"What, are you five?" Logan asked and Rhuben shrugged. "I just think she's coming on a little too thick."

"So tell her that," Rhuben replied with a shrug and Logan dropped her arms. She twisted her mouth to the side, looking at him as if he was crazy.

"I can't tell a girl that," he cried, his eyes widening. "She'll freak out; cause a scene, start cryin—"

"Hey, you need to stop doing that thing with you face," Rhuben commented.

"What?" Logan asked.

"Talking," Rhuben replied simply.

"Thanks for nothing," Logan muttered before making his way through the crowd of dancing people.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see that James had instantly taken his spot and grasped her hand, spinning her in a circle before dipping her. Logan let out a sigh. Dating girls and just being around girls was so easy for him. James never really had to worry about if girls liked him because all girls liked him, something Logan was reminded of more times than he could count.

Logan instantly made a beeline towards Kendall and Jo who were sitting and talking quietly in the "VIP section" of their party. Logan's lips twitched into a brief smile. Anyone with half a brain could see that the two of them were into each other, but Logan wondered if Kendall knew that James was that into Jo.

Well, with all of the come-ons and comments, it'd be hard for any girl or guy to _not _notice that James was trying to put the moves on a girl. But, Logan really wondered why Kendall hadn't asked James to back off or just tell him how into Jo he was. The two of them were arguably the closest out of the four of them, surely it could be something easy to hash out. Plus, James could get any girl he wanted anytime he wanted.

"Camille's all over me," Logan explained to the two bewildered teenagers. He knew he was interrupting the two of them with a special private moment or whatever, but at this moment in time, he didn't really care. "Help."

"What's the problem?" Jo asked with a patient smile, "Camille's cool. You'd really like her if you took the time to get to know her." She brushed her hair over her shoulder. "I mean, she _did _help you guys out with slapping this place together."

Kendall and Logan groaned, rubbing their cheeks at the mention of the word 'slap.' The two of them had dealt with hard slaps from Camille every now and then. And they meant _hard _slaps. It'd be a miracle if they had feeling in their cheeks after a day. If a role ever called for a slap, Camille was good to go.

"Yeah, but you have to admit, Camille's kind of crazy," Kendall replied, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, like your friends are normal?" Jo asked, motioning towards the makeshift dance floor. Logan and Kendall exchanged glances before following her gaze to see James and Carlos dancing wildly on the dance floor. Carlo knocked a girl over, peering at her on the ground for a moment before he continued to dance as if nothing happened.

"Your answer is pretty simple, Logie," Kendall commented, getting back to the subject at hand. Logan could tell that Kendal laws just trying to answer so he could leave. "Just tell Camille you're not interested and you just want to be friends."

"Orrrr, just relax and see where it goes," Jo suggested with a shrug, "maybe starring in Camille's fantasy movie could be fun."

Logan laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered as he rubbed at his cheek. "Thanks for the advice, Jo." Jo gave him a smile before Logan made his way back to Camille. "So…you…uh, having fun?"

"Yeah," Camille replied with a nod. "It's a nice little party. Although, I don't know why you're still throwing it when you already have two strikes." She pointed a finger towards the Palm Woods door. "I don't want to see you guys get kicked out. This place was boring before you guys got here."

"Thanks," Logan replied, scratching at the back of his head. Camille nodded and Logan clasped his hands together. _Ok, now what. _He got his answer when there was a loud knock on the apartment door and Carlos and James hurried to answer the door. Logan's eyes widened as he watched a whole group of people burst through the doors cheering about the party. "I'll be right back. Just wait here a second, I've got host duties."

"Uh…sure—"

Logan didn't hear the rest of her sentence as he hurried over to Carlos and James. "_Who invited all of these people_?" Kendall asked, waving his arms into the air as he motioned towards the hordes of people in the apartment.

"It wasn't me," James said, putting his hands up defensively. "I invited the three hottest girls in my contacts." He looked over at Riley and Rhuben, giving them a charming smile as the twin girls walked over. "You, you, and—" he then looked over at Kendall, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Jo."

"Carrrlooosss?" Logan asked, crossing his arms over his chest, tapping his foot, stopping what could've been a pretty bad argument.

"I didn't do it either. I couldn't decide on who to invite so I invited the first three people on my phone," Carlos said, putting his hands up defensively before reaching for his cell phone, pulling it out of his pocket. "I only invited Abigail Aaron, Andrea Adams, and Al Contacts."

Logan's jaw dropped as Kendall swiped Carlos's phone from his hands and all but shouted, "That says _"All Contacts_"."

"YOU INVITED YOUR WHOLE PHONE?" James shouted.

"Three strikes, you're out," Riley commented and Rhuben agreed. "Parties never go as planned, you should've thought of this in the first place."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Logan commented, rubbing his temples as more rowdy teenagers shoved their way into the apartment.

Logan frowned, watching as the two girls seemed to fold in on themselves as the apartment got more and more full. He craned his neck to see Patrick and Noah with tight smiles on their faces as people recognized them, wanting to talk to them and to get their autographs. He licked his lips, turning towards the two girls.

"It's ok, we can get rid of them all," he commented, giving them a gentle smile. "I hope." The two girls exchanged glances. "It was supposed to be a small gathering and now _it's a party that'll get us kick out of the Palm Woods_." He glared at Carlos who gave a sheepish grin in reply.

"Ok, emergency plan," Kendall said, trying to show that he had control over everything. "I'll take my non-date, who _still _hates hockey by the way—"

"Oh, poor you," Riley commented, "did she _finally_ get annoyed of all the hockey stories?"

"Now, I don't see how she could last that long," Rhuben said, putting a hand on her hip, tilting her head to the side. "I wanted to shove a hockey stick down your throat after the…oh, _fifth_ one."

"Ha ha," Kendall replied with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to see if she'll help me keep an eye on Bitters so we don't get our third strike. I want the rest of you guys to figure out how to get rid of this party."

"Right," Carlos and James replied in unison before Kendall walked off.

Logan sighed heavily. He could tell already that James and Carlos weren't going to do anything to help. So, once again, it was up to the "Big Time Brain" to come up with a plan. "You still have that Super Party Fun Box around somewhere" Riley asked, rubbing her chin, snapping Logan out of his thoughts. Logan gave a brief nod. "Then leave everything to us."

Rhuben nodded and stuck two of her fingers in her mouth, giving a short whistle and Patrick and Noah made their way through the crowd to get to them. "Let's roll, Riles has a plan to help these Big Time Bozos—" Logan winced, "get the party out of the apartment."

"What about Syd?" Patrick asked.

"I'll look after him," Logan replied, "just please help. And hurry!" He let out a breath of air and made his way through the throngs of people to get to his bedroom, quietly slipping inside. Sydney was sitting cross legged on Kendall's bed, flipping through a comic book. "Hey."

"Hi," Sydney replied, barely looking up from the comic book. "Having a fun party?"

"Well—"

Sydney looked up at him before glancing sideways at the closed door. "Party getting out of hand?" he asked before shrugging. "Not that it's all too surprising. That always happens." He shrugged again. "From what I've seen on TV anyway."

Sydney set down the comic book and sighed, looking over at Logan. "This was a bad idea, you know. We hate crowds. It's too unpredictable, but they're easy to escape in," he commented. "Although, I bet you figured something like that out; which is why you want to get the party goers out so quickly. I admire your noble act, by the way." Logan gaped at the small boy. "I get that a lot."

"I don't doubt it," Logan said, moving to sit down next to the small boy. "Surely you could see that what your dad doing to you is wrong."

"Yeah," Sydney said with a nod, twisting his fingers in his lap. "But, Ri-Ri takes good care of us. She says we'll get out and I believe her." He gave Logan his dimpled smile and Logan felt his heart sink. He couldn't even begin to imagine how someone could hurt a kid as innocent as Sydney. "She always makes sure we're ok."

"I guess this just doesn't make sense to me," Logan said with a shake of his head. "You all acknowledge that what your dad is doing to you is wrong, but you won't do anything about it."

"We didn't ask you to do anything about it, either," Sydney pointed out, his eyebrow twitching. "Although, I'm sure you don't want to talk about this now. I bet you were using the party to take your mind off of it." Logan was speechless for a second time. "That's what I thought. It's ok though, we were doing the same thing. And, yes, I'm having fun. Partying isn't really my thing, but I didn't want to be home alone and you guys are nice, so…"

Sydney tilted his head to the side, peering at Logan. "You said that when you went to the police, they couldn't send anybody out because we weren't making a formal complaint," he commented and Logan nodded, "and yet we had an off duty officer come to our house. We checked, he was the real deal. You shouldn't be getting involved, Logan, not in something like this."

"The police are just trying to help," Logan said with a sigh, "and so am I. I don't want to know that you guys are being hurt."

"We're fine," Sydney replied with a small frown. "Nothing we can't handle." He motioned towards the door with the comic book in his hands. "Besides, the media would get a field day with this news story."

"Is your career the only thing you care about?" Logan asked, suddenly annoyed. Sydney slowly blinked.

"No," he replied, sounding offended, "it's not. We're not talking about our careers, we're talking about our lives. You weren't around the past few years Logan, you don't get it." He moved to settle back against Kendall's pillows. "You're being rude to your guests. Ignoring them, I mean."

"You're my guest, too," Logan pointed out to him. Sydney bounced a foot. "Do you not want any help at all?"

Sydney lowered the magazine, chewing on his bottom lip. "Not wanting help and being too scared to ask for it are two completely different things, Logan," he finally replied after a moment of silence.

* * *

Kendall gulped down his fourth cup of lemonade, turning back to Jo after a sweep of the party. He was breathing hard, having ran through the many flights of stairs in the Palm Woods to throw Bitters off the trail of their party. James and Carlos only made matters worse by moving the party out of the apartment and to the pool deck of the Palm Woods, but with Riley's brilliant plan, they were able to trap Bitters in the Super Party Fun Box to give them a little bit of time to party without any problem.

But, in that down time, Kendall and Jo tried to learn more about each other and found out that they didn't have a lot in common. Most importantly, and he hadn't forgotten it from their business dinner a while ago, was that she didn't like hockey. That made the conversation slow down and a little awkward, and he needed to do _something _to fill up the space, and his empty hands. It was better than eating; no spittle and mashed up bits of food flying anywhere, and if the conversation got too dull, you could easily make a dash to the bathroom to fix yourself up and to try and think of something else to talk about.

"So…you having any...fun?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Jo replied, giving him a warm smile. "Even having to be pulled away from this awesome non-party, trying to distract Bitters was pretty fun." She paused for a moment and then gave him a shy smile, one that made his heart instantly skip a beat. It was a new feeling, but one he liked. "I always have fun when I'm with you."

"Yeah, me—me too," Kendall replied with a nod. And he nodded. And kept nodding. Jo's eyebrows knitted together as she peered at him. "You are so underrated, ya know? Ya know, I don't get why no one has…given you a chance. I mean…you're pretty." He reached out a hand and flicked some of her hair before dropping his arm, watching as it swung back and forth.

"Thanks," Jo replied, reaching up to twist the lock of her hair around her finger. "I've had a few auditions, but no such luck." She shrugged. "Camille's been helping me, too."

Kendall let out a loud bark of laughter. "Thasss probably why," he replied. "Camille's…kinda crazy. Like I said."

"And like _I _said…"Jo said with a brief roll of her eyes, "like _your_ friends are normal?" The two of them started to laugh, and he kept laughing, and laughing, and laughing.

"Good point, Jo…good, good point," Kendall said, tapping her nose with his index finger.

"Hey," a boy said with a grin as he walked up to the two of them, his eyes on Jo. "I'm Wyatt." He lifted the cup that was in his hand to his mouth, taking a long sip. "You look like you could use a drink."

"No, thanks," Jo replied with a shake of her head, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, I'm just trying to be nice," Wyatt commented.

"And I said, no thanks," Jo replied, giving him a pitying look, turning slightly away from him. Kendall frowned sipping his lemonade, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing it.

"You can leave now," Kendall said, his eyes on Wyatt. "We're kind of a non-date, here. So, if you don't mind—" Kendall lifted a hand and shoved Wyatt. Wyatt slapped at his hand.

"Emphasis on the _non_ part, dude," Wyatt replied.

"Excuse me, but he _is _my date," Jo replied and Kendall gave Wyatt a smug look. "And I'm having a great time with him on this non-date at this non-party." She stepped over to Kendall and looped her arm through his. "Come on, Kendall, let's go."

"Kayyy," Kendall replied, grinning at Wyatt before allowing Jo to pull him through the crowd.

"Hey, Fuck Tard Rush."

Kendall turned, just in time to feel something slam into his jaw. He immediately tasted blood as he tripped over his feet, hitting the ground. He heard Jo scream his name. The party suddenly went silent as everyone around reacted to the screams.

Kendall's vision swam and his head throbbed with pain. He swayed a little bit on his feet, shook his head back and forth and then swung his arm forward, popping the guy in the face only to receive a harder punch back. Kendall stumbled back a few steps, holding his cheek.

"Don't finish what you can't start," the guy said with a sneer before spitting at the ground.

Kendall saw red and before he knew it, he was in the pool, kicking towards the surface, angrily slapping at the water as he dragged himself over to the side of the pool. He rested his arms on the side, breathing heavily. He barely registered that his friends were calling his name as they hurried over to him.

"Dude!" Carlos gasped, grasping Kendall's hand, helping him out of the water. "Are you okay?"

"Fffine," Kendall replied with a nod. "I'm fine." He looked around the pool area, frowning when he didn't see her. "Jo?"

"She left," Riley said as she pushed her way through the group, a towel in her arms, "with Camille. They left in a hurry."

"Gawwwwd," Kendall groaned, running his hands over his face, teetering backwards. James grabbed his arm, frowning.

"Dude, are you drunk?" he asked quietly.

"Psssh, nooo," Kendall replied, waving his hand in the air. "Lemonade was great. Sweet, sweet lemonade. "

"Oh God, Kendall," Logan groaned, peering at him. "Your mom is going to kill you." Kendall gently touched his lip, removing his fingers to find that they were splattered red. He licked his lips, smiling.

"Mmm mmm good," Kendall said before he started to cackle. "Like Chef Boy-Am-I-Drunk." He started laughing harder as Riley shoved the towel into his arms.

"You guys clear everyone out before Bitters gives you another strike, and I'll get him upstairs," she said, grasping Kendall's arm.

"You sure about that, Beautiful?" James asked.

"I'm a master at hiding things that have gone wrong." Riley briefly glanced over at Logan who chewed on his bottom lip, letting out a sigh through his nose. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing," she replied, keeping her eyes on Logan. James and Carlos exchanged glances, and shrugged. "My sis got the kids out the minute we realized the lemonade was spiked. I came to warn you guys about it, but I guess Kendall beat me to it. I don't want you guys to get kicked out of the Palm Woods and I doubt you know how to handle a drunk guy."

Logan set his jaw, briefly looking away then back at her. "Water and naproxen sodium," Logan said to Riley, "it won't cure his hang over, but it'll help ease the symptoms."

"Thanks, Logie-Bear," Riley replied and Logan briefly winced before giving a nod. Riley grabbed Kendall's arm and heaved him onto her back. Her knees buckled slightly as his heavy weight pushed down onto her. Ignoring all the stairs and whispers, she started dragging him into the Palm Woods. "Real dumb move, Kendall."

"Hee hee hee, you smell good," Kendall commented his hot breath invading her senses. She made a face, twisting her face away from him before reaching down to loop her arms around his legs, giving him a piggy back ride. "Like strawberries." He pressed his nose into her hair. "Mmmm. I luhv strawberries."

"That's good to know," Riley commented, "just be quiet. The party is winding down and you're still talking with your Carlos voice. Use your inside voice, please. You're not being very inconspicuous."

"Thasss a funny word," Kendall said, prodding her cheek with his finger. "You're funnnny." He groaned as she swung him around as she hurried through the doors of the stairwell, taking them up two at a time. "Ohhh, my head. Why is the room spinning?"

"Because you're drunk," Riley replied.

Kendall's stomach lurched and he groaned, swallowing thickly. Riley cursed under her breath and hurried to apartment 2J before setting Kendall down onto the floor. He teetered back and forth as she reached her hand into his jeans pockets.

"You're fasss—"

"Finish that sentence and I swear to God I'll make your hangover even worse," Riley mumbled and Kendall shook his head.

"Tired," he muttered, yawning. He snapped his mouth shut when his stomach lurched and a weird burp and hiccup came out of his mouth. "I don't feel good." Riley finally found his keys and unlocked the apartment door and Kendall hurried into the bathroom, threw up the toilet bowl lid and practically stuck his head in the toilet bowl water as he threw up.

His throat burned and the terrible smell reached his nostrils causing him to throw up a second time. He suddenly felt extremely tired and all but slumped over the toilet bowl. He felt a hand rubbing quick circles on his back had she spat into the toilet. He blinked open his eyes and groaned against the harsh light.

"Turn off the sun," he groaned, lifting his hand to block the light from the bathroom ceiling. He let out a sigh as his strength gave out and his hand dropped down onto his face. An odd groaning sound escaped his throat as he turned towards the toilet bowl, coughing once, feeling the walls of his stomach slam together before he threw up a second time. "'ts so disgusting."

"Tell me about it," Riley commented, moving to gently scratch at the back of his neck where his head dipped. He groaned, resting his forehead on his arms. "You ok?"

"Mom's going to kill me," Kendall commented, moving to sit back, but fell back onto his butt, bumping his head on the wall behind him. "Owww."

"Alright, come on," Riley commented, grabbing his arm. "Your mom isn't going to kill you." She let out a heavy sigh. "From what I've seen…she'll be disappointed, but that's it. It's a pretty nice deal, actually."

"Ts terrible," Kendall commented, shuffling after her.

"Trust me…it could be worse," Riley replied, helping him through the kitchen before making her way to his room. Kendall could barely keep his eyes open as he made his way to his bed. As Riley let him go to move his bed covers he fell face forward onto his bed. "Kendall—"

"I'm sleepy," Kendall muttered into his mattress. He rolled onto his back. "I'm sorry…" He tried to sit up and his head dropped as if he couldn't keep the weight of his head up anymore.

"Not like I haven't seen something like this before," Riley muttered. "People drink for different reasons. Knowing you, you didn't know that lemonade was spiked. Which sucks because I thought you had more sense than drinking something that you didn't have at a party to begin with."

"You take good care off me," Kendall commented, his head lolling from side to side.

"I've had years of practice," Riley replied. She lifted a hand and gently prodded Kendall's shoulder and he fell back against his pillows. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she gripped his legs and swung his legs onto his bed before pulling his blankets up over him.

"I owe you….piggyback ride, kay?" Kendall asked, rolling his head to look at her. "Cause frenzzz…frenzz lift each other uhh." He swallowed thickly at her. "Are we ffrrienzz?"

Riley stopped what she was doing, peering at him. "Ask me that again when you're sober." She sighed heavily, shaking her head back and forth. "Well, James and Carlos got their wish; their party will go down in history, but for the wrong reason."

_A man's true character comes out when he's drunk._

* * *

**A/N: **I'm not too happy with this chapter, personally, but I'm glad to have it done so I can introduce Stephanie. Just in case some of you forgot, this fic/season 1 is about the Jacksons and BTR working together and BTR learning about their abuse as well as starting to be friends. The second season and the second fic (which will be called _Just Getting Started_) will go more into showing how they make the special friendships with everybody.

Anyway, we're getting to the homestretch with this fic. Katie will find out soon. Everything is starting to come to a head.

**Cheers,**

**-Rhuben**


	31. He's Drunk Again

**~31~**

A loud clattering sound woke Kendall out of his sleep almost as effectively as Carlos jumping on him. His throbbing head felt the same way, anyway. It was too painful. Kendall groaned, squeezing his eyes shut, grasping his head as it pulsed.

"That's what the painkillers are for." Kendall cracked open an eye, his eyes watering, trying to find Logan, but his vision swam and he curled up into a ball. He felt shitty to say the least. Something was shoved into his hands. "Come on, drink up. Just keep sipping on water all day, you need to be hydrated and you won't feel as bad."

Kendall muttered a response. He then felt hands grasp his shoulders and he was pulled up into a sitting position, his head flopping back on his shoulders, groaning again at the sudden movement. "Come on Kendall, get up, seriously."

"Whassamatter?" His mouth was dry. He blinked open his eyes and groaned louder when the bright sunlight hit him in the face. The top of his eyes burned, making his eyes water again. A cool glass was shoved into his hand and he pressed it to his eyes. _Some night last night_. _Carlos and James really know how to throw a party._

"Drink, Kendall," Logan said, clapping for emphasis, making Kendall squeeze his eyes shut. "Sorry, sorry." He took whatever it was that was in Kendall's hand before shoving it into his mouth before forcing him to drink water. Kendall nearly gagged but managed to swallow the pills and some water before wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down at his shirt and realized that he was in a t-shirt. "I'm wearing different clothes."

"Yeah, for whatever reason, Riley put you in bed soaking wet and in vomit stained clothes," Logan commented and Kendall blinked open his eyes, finally seeing Logan clearly. He looked worried, and annoyed, but mostly angry. "I changed your clothes and your sheets once we got back and got done with cleaning the pool deck."

"Considering your mom could come back at any moment because this is maybe the first time she's left you guys alone over night, as pathetic as that is, I figured a clean apartment would soften the blow once she finds out—and she will—that you got drunk."

Kendall ran a hand over his face, looking over at Riley as she strode into the room, her arms crossed over her chest. He shrank under her gaze. He couldn't figure out what exactly she was feeling, but her piercing gaze wasn't helping matters much at all. He knew he messed up and if the sudden throbbing of his face was any indication, she was right, his mom _was _going to find out.

He gently touched his face and sucked in a sharp breath of air as the area around his eye started at a dull sting and got more and more painful. Tears welled up in his eyes for a second time and he used his shirt sleeve to pat his eyes dry.

"You're still here," Kendall commented. He got to his feet and stumbled, his knees buckling. He reached for his dresser drawer and leaned heavily against his.

Riley clicked her tongue. "I've seen enough friends think they were ok after drinking to know that they were not, in fact, ok," she commented, glancing sideways at Logan. Kendall looked over at her through his bangs. Her face was void of any emotion. Kendall pushed himself to a standing position, still resting one hand on his desk.

"Thanks for helping," Logan said to Riley who gave him a brief smile.

"No worries," she replied. She then sucked in a deep breath of air and turned back towards Kendall. "What you did was really stupid, Kendumb!"

Kendall's upper lip curled slightly. "Is name calling really necessary right now?" he asked, shocking himself at how small he sounded.

"Actually, yes," Riley replied, tilting her head to the side. "You do something dumb, you get called out on it. Pretty simple if you ask me."

"Right," Kendall said with a nod.

"I'm not all that happy with Logan asking us to uninvited Dak," Riley said, looking over at Logan who pressed his lips together, "but it was a good thing he wasn't there. If the press caught wind of that party, you'd have backlash against you so fast your head would spin much harder than a check to the boards in hockey."

Kendall couldn't help but crack a grin. They had always been on his case about him using hockey terms all the time, and now she was using it. But, at the same time, he knew that she was just trying to get through to him. It was true, he wasn't thinking when he was drinking, and he didn't even fully know _why _he did it in the first place. But, he hated himself for it.

"Drinking isn't funny," Riley said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It changes people. You think you know someone, but the truth comes out when they have alcohol in their system."

_Kendall choked, gasping for air, his shirt collar digging into his throat. A loud scream of pain erupted from his throat. The acrid smell of smoke burned his nose. His stomach rocked at the smell of bruning meat. He gulped and gasped and choked for air in between sobs of pain. He kicked his legs out underneath him as his knees buckled, driving his chin into the arm of the chair._

_He felt another tug on the collar of his shirt and he was thrown to the ground, his neck burning and throbbing with pain. Kendall reached up a shaky hand and lightly touched his neck, letting out a strangled cry at the burning sting. He curled up into a ball, wrapping his arms around his legs._

"I know," he muttered.

"If you know, then why did you do it, Kendall?" Logan asked.

"I didn't know the lemonade was spiked, ok?" Kendall asked. He let out a heavy sigh. "Where are James and Carlos?"

"Getting rid of the final evidence of the party," Logan replied. "I knew this 'social gathering' or 'get together' or whatever you wanted to call it was stupid." He pressed his lips together for a moment. "I knew I should've put my foot down about this one. This idea of yours really takes the cake, Kendall!"

Kendall winced as Logan's voice got louder and louder and louder. His head throbbed. He slapped his hands over his ears. "Why are you _yelling_?" Kendall asked in a moan. "I'm sorry, ok? I just…I don't know what I wanted."

"I'm not yell-" Logan paused, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I feel like my head exploded," Kendall groaned, sinking back down onto his bed.

"Hangovers will do that to ya," Riley replied, sounding unsympathetic. "When's your mom getting back."

"I don't know," Kendall replied, rubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Later? She didn't say." _Hopefully I don't feel like crap by then_.

"Good, then that's plenty of time for working out and studio work," Riley commented and Kendall peered up at her, looking at her as if she had grown a second head. Logan had the same bewildered look on her face. "You don't think that just because you're hungover means you don't have an album to create, right?" Kendall didn't know what to say. And by the looks of it, neither did Logan. "You really have no idea what it's like to work hard, do you?"

_Hearing a loud whistle, he let out a short breath of air, before taking off at a high speed, skating laps around a coned off area. His chest burned, his lungs felt like they had shrunk over the course of his practicing. When he got to his starting point, hands on his knees, breathing heavily, a hockey stick was shoved into his hands. He briefly glanced after the black puck that sent out across the ice before chasing after it._

"_You ready for the big game, Kendall? You've shown a lot of improvement over the year._"

_Kendall barely had any energy left to nod, skating after the puck but managed to get out an enthusiastic, "Yeah, coach, I'm ready for this!" _

"Riles, just calm down a little," Logan said, placing a hand on Riley's shoulder. "This was just a one time thing. I mean, Kendall never drank before."

"And I won't do it again," Kendall replied with a shake of his head. "Believe me."

"Exercise will do you some good anyway," Riley commented, seeming to soften, raking her fingers through her hair. "Not too much mind you, and it'll kill at first, but you'll feel better faster. And the painkillers will help as well." She paused, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Anyway, I came to help you."

"With what?" Kendall asked.

Riley tiled her head to the side. "I mean, unless you _want _to leave your bruises on display," she commented. "I don't know about you, but I doubt you'd want Gustavo yelling at you first thing in the morning."

"Or at all," Kendall commented and Riley let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, that's true," she agreed. "So…you want help or what? Or are you just going to tell your mom this was due to a bad hockey game?"

"Either, whatever," Kendall said, waving his hand in the air. Riley quirked an eyebrow. "Thanks." She nodded. "I just want to talk to Jo."

"I'll go tell James and Carlos how you're doing," Logan suggested. He gave Riley a one-armed hug before making her way out of the room.

"Have you heard from Jo?" Kendall asked her.

Riley slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "She's worried about you," Riley replied with a shrug, "but that's all I know." Kendall nodded and Riley moved to sit in front of him on the floor. "So, why'd you drink?"

"I already told you I didn't—"

"Yes you did, you had to have known," Riley commented, tilting her head to the side. Kendall narrowed his eyes slightly. "Lemonade is hard to make perfect. Too much sugar and it's too sweet; too little and it's tart or bitter. You could have the best tasting lemonade in the world and the minute you put alcohol in it, it'll taste off."

Kendall twisted his mouth to the side.

"Some people say they drink to escape from it all; to numb themselves. Well, when you numb yourself, it's only temporary. Eventually those feelings you were avoiding will manifest themselves two-fold." Kendall blinked and Riley peered at him. "So, what were you trying to escape?"

"Pressure," Kendall replied. Riley motioned for him to continue. "I've always had so much pressure on me; hockey, family life, music, doing the right thing all the time, everything with Jo. It was just…too much. I couldn't take it you know?"

"Yeah," Riley replied, slowly nodding. "I know. But, that doesn't mean you should throw all of this away. It could be worse." Her lips twitched into a brief smile. "Your demos couldn't have been chosen. But, they were. It's not something that happens often, so you should." She cringed for a moment. "You have a breakaway; nothing in front of you, a clear shot at doing something great. Don't ruin it."

"Or what…I'll have you breathing down my neck?" Kendall asked.

"Maybe," Riley replied with a shrug. "I _am_ contracted to work with you after all and believe it or not, I don't want you or James or Carlos or Logan to become another group that didn't make it. And I don't want you to think you can't do it either."

That was it. He didn't think he could do it. Every time something good happened to them, something bad would happen, or something would just remind him about how hard everything was. It was still a long shot that their album would do well, and despite being confident for James, he couldn't be confident for himself. In anything he did. But, he tried.

Which was why he always talked back to Gustavo, which was why he had bursts of anger, why he drank, why he wanted to prove so desperately that he and Jo would be great together. He wanted to make things go his way to be sure that there was success. He wanted to control everybody and everything in his life to get success.

He wanted to be just like his dad.

And that scared him.

"What's wrong?" Riley asked quietly. Almost so quiet that he nearly didn't hear her at all.

"Nothing," he replied with a shake of his head. "I could use your help."

Riley gave a brief smile. "Why do you think I'm here?"

..

.

Kendall paced back and forth in front of Jo's apartment door. Every few minutes he would go up to the door, prepared to knock, and then change his mind and start pacing again. He knew that she had to have been scared during the fight. He didn't intend for that to happen. He was just trying to protect her. He wanted to have a good time with her, to loosen up, and it all went downhill.

_Come on, Kendall, you can do this_. He sucked in a deep breath of air, held it for a minute, and then let it out. He lifted his hand and rapped on Jo's door. He stood there for a moment, rocking back and forth on his heels as he waited for someone to come to the door. He lifted his hand and knocked again. Moments later he heard footsteps coming to the door.

Jo pulled the apartment door open and poked her head around to face Kendall. He felt a smile come to his face and he gave her a small wave. Jo blinked in surprise before relaxing into a small smile. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," she replied, just as quiet.

"Um…can we talk?" Kendall asked, rubbing his hands together. "About last night?" Jo chewed on her bottom lip. "Is now a bad time?"

"No," Jo replied with a shake of her head, pulling the door wider before motioning him inside. "Come in. I was just cleaning."

"Thanks," Kendall replied, stepping into the apartment. "Nice place." He tapped his hand onto the kitchen table as he passed it. "Not as cool as the crib—"

"I can kick you out at anytime, pal," Jo commented, patting him on the back, laughing a little bit. Her laughter faded and she reached up a hand to gently touch his cheek. "Um, Kendall, I had a nice time at your last night, but—"

"I came to apologize," Kendall said, interrupting her. "I didn't mean to scare you and I didn't mean to do what I did. But, that guy—"

"Thank you for that, Kendall," Jo said interrupting Kendall and he blinked in surprise. "He was really making me uncomfortable. I—I didn't know what to do. I mean…I wouldn't have done _that_ but what you did was really sweet." She made her way to the couch and sat down. He followed after her, but continued to stand. "I was worried about you. I just want to know why you did it."

"There's no explanation," Kendall replied with a shake of his head.

"You scared me," Jo said quietly. "I've never seen you that mad before. It was like you were a whole different person. And you got hurt." Kendall nodded. "I never thought you'd drink. I just never thought you were the type—"

"Have you ever drank beer?" Kendall asked, interrupting her.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yes," she replied. "Once at a party. It was a dare really. I never got drunk," she replied. "It tasted awful. I said I'd never do it again, until I was old enough to be sure that I could really take care of myself." She clasped her fingers through her hair. "But, apart from that, I still had a good time at your party."

"I'm glad," Kendall replied with a smile. "I'll never do it again, I promise. I swear, I have no intention of ever drinking again. I know I scared you, but I scared myself, too."

"I know," Jo replied.

"People always dream of coming to Los Angeles, making it big," Kendall commented, looking around the apartment, "but I don't think people ever really know how hard it is. I liked to think I could handle it all, people always told me I was so down-to-earth and everything. I never knew how far under pressure you could be."

"Well…if you need anyone to try and take the pressure off," Jo commented, reaching out towards him. Kendall slid his hand into hers and allowed her to pull him towards the couch. He sat down. "If you need someone to hold your hand when things are hard," she gently squeezed his hand, "I'm here."

Kendall smiled.

* * *

Ronan let out a heavy sigh, pushing the stack of papers away from him, rubbing at his tired eyes. Big, bold words stared back at him:

**National Foster Parent Association**

**Membership Application**

That was one of the many stacks of papers and brochures that were sitting on his table. He let out a sigh, running his hands over his face. It was more information than he could ever imagine, but he knew that this was something he ultimately wanted to do. He wanted to be sure that the Jacksons were safe. But, he also knew that what he was doing was risky.

Every day he waited to gather more evidence, was another day he was risking something was going to happen. There was some relief in knowing that for a while nothing _had _happened, but that didn't mean he was going to stay that way for long. He had to act fast; he wanted to have everything squared away so that when and if things happened, he could take them in.

There were many steps to becoming a foster parent; he had to be at least 21 years of age or older, financially stable, submit to background checks, have someone come to his apartment to see if it was really a good place for them to live, have references from family or co-workers, take classes, take first aid and CPR classes, and more.

There were some setbacks with that as well: he knew his parents wouldn't be too happy with him, and would try and talk him out of it.

Bishop and Marilyn McGuire were old-fashioned type of people. They constantly goaded him about being single wondering when he was ever going to settle down and get married and have kids. They had met the Jacksons on numerous occasions, and weren't too pleased about them. Well, his dad seemed to grow more open about them each time he visited, but his mom…she had a comment and a thought for anything and everything in his life. It made him not want to tell them anything.

Then there were his brothers; Aaron (his older brother) and Ely (his younger brother). Ronan was the middle child and often times felt that he suffered from middle child syndrome, but he had no problem with that. No one bothered him, he could go and do things as he pleased, coast through without any problems. But, at the same time, because he felt that way, he often didn't ever really check in with his parents and in turn, they checked in with him. A lot.

Ronan glanced up from the papers and over at the pictures on his desk. There was one of him and his brothers, after graduating from college, one of him and his brothers when they were kids. His eyes flicked over to two picture frames, each split into four sections. In each square was a picture of him and the Jacksons since they first signed with Blazing Phoenix Records. Each year they worked with him they took a new picture.

"Boy, they sure have grown up," Ronan commented, looking at each picture carefully.

His fond smile slowly wilted into a frown as he really looked at each picture. They did seem to be happy to take the picture for him. But, how was it that he was just now noticing the bruises and the scratches and scrapes?

There was a knock on the door and he turned in his swivel chair and smiled as the Jacksons trooped into his office. He quickly scooped all of the papers and brochures together before shoving them into his desk drawer.

"We thought you were hungry," Sydney said with his dimpled smile, handing him a Subway bag. He then shook his own bag. "We stopped on the way here."

"Well thank you for thinking of me," Ronan said as he set his sandwich down onto the table.

"What were those papers?" Sydney asked, looking up at Ronan before making his way over to the table in the center of the room. He sat down next to it, reaching for his sandwich to unwrap it.

"Nothing, just old stuff," Ronan replied, setting his sandwich aside, turning around to face the five kids. "I'm just cleaning out the office a little bit."

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Rhuben asked, grabbing a fallen onion chunk that fell out of her sandwich, stuffing it back into her tuna.

"Wellll," Ronan held out the word as he got out of his swivel chair to sit at the table with them. "I was thinking about a lot of stuff. Mainly how your dad wants you guys to move back to Australia."

'What about it?" Riley asked before taking a large bite of her sandwich, frowning as some of her tuna came out of the other end.

"I've just been thinking about it," Ronan said with a shrug. "I mean, you all always head to Australia every six months to work on your music to release out there—"

"Mhm," Sydney said with a nod, red sauce staining his cheeks as he chewed.

"And you're all doing a great job with your music and everything," Ronan continued. "I couldn't help but notice some of your struggles with writing this time around. You always do some great things back at home."

"Do you think we're doing badly?" Noah asked, a concerned look crossing his face as he slowly set down his sandwich, wiping his fingers on his napkin.

Ronan licked the corner of his mouth. _How am I going to say this? _"Well, I don't think."

"Do you think we should go back to Australia?" Riley asked.

Ronan blinked. "No, that's—"

"Well, it's like you said, we work better when we're there. And we're due back there soon anyway." She reached for her phone and checked the calendar. "Yeah, dad has us scheduled out there for a couple months."

"Actually, it's going to be pushed back to mid-summer," Ronan replied and the Jacksons exchanged glances. "Well, now that Big Time Rush's demos have been picked to make a full album, Gustavo is starting to work out when they should have their album one and when they should have the album finished and when they should start touring. Since you're working together, we, naturally want you to tour with them."

"If we work hard enough to get both your American album done as well as finish re-mastering your Australian albums, we could have you tour here in America and then go to Australia to tour there. And while you're touring in Australia, we'd have Dak Zevon take over the rest of the dates while you're away. Now, Gustavo's looking to have the tour start in April and go until August, where they have to be back in school, maybe even early September."

"What does dad think?" Sydney asked.

"Well, between arguments where he and Gustavo have actually _talked_ about it," Ronan replied mussing Sydney's feathery soft hair, "he thinks it's a good idea. Gustavo will be benefitting from both you and Dak touring with Big Time Rush, and you'll be garnering exposure here in the US, and keeping your fan base back home as well."

"Vehn gon boor du vu want gus to leaf?" Patrick asked around a mouthful of his sandwich. Ronan gave him a confused look before laughing a little bit.

"He said, 'When on tour do you want us to leave?'," Noah clarified. "To go back to Australia, we mean?" Patrick nodded.

"Well, we don't want you touring for too long," Ronan replied, scratching his chin. "You have schooling yourself and I'd like for you to check in with Miss Colins over at the Palm Woods to see if you're keeping up with her class in regards to your school work." _And I don't want you out there with your dad by yourself for that long. _"Not to mention I wouldn't be able to go with you."

"Why not?" Sydney asked with a troubled frown. Patrick had stopped chewing, Noah loudly swallowed the sandwich bite in his mouth and Riley and Rhuben froze, their sandwiches halfway to their mouths, exchanging glances.

"Well, I have to prepare here for when you get back," Ronan replied. "Making new music samples, shopping around for others, stuff like that. If your album sales do well here, then you're going to have to make a second album better than the first."

"So, why can't you do that in Australia with us?" Noah asked, brushing his long hair out of his face. Ronan frowned, spotting a purple-ish splotch at his hairline.

"Don't worry guys, Alan will be there to help," Ronan said, trying to put a smile to his face. It was hard. "And that way, if you finish early, you could have some time at home to take a break and relax."

"We could just be kids for once," Rhuben commented, using her hand to push some of her sandwich into her mouth, crunching down on the onion and bacon that hung out of her mouth. "Seriously. We haven't had a break in a while."

"And we could see Julius again, we haven't heard from him in a while," Riley slowly replied, looking at him as if gauging his reaction. Ronan chewed on his bottom lip. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she shrugged, her face void of any emotion. "If you think it's a good idea."

They all jumped as the office door suddenly burst open, slamming into the wall behind it. There was a loud _bang_ and the door bounced back towards its frame. After a couple of times where Patrick burst through the door, popping a hole into the wall behind it, he decided to put a metal plate into the wall behind it for such occasions like this.

"My kissssh…taking a break, Rogan," Robert announced as he walked into the room. He lifted his hand and lazily snapped his fingers a few times, pointing out into the hall. "Nnnn….nnnow."

"What's going on?" Ronan asked, a confused look on his face as he slowly got to his feet.

"Let me ttttt-talk to my kissssh alone," Robert replied, leaning against the door frame.

Ronan silently walked over to the older man and made a face as the smell of alcohol washed over him. He looked into Robert's eyes and they rolled slightly in the older man's head as he looked back at him. Robert swallowed thickly.

"Are you drunk?" Ronan asked quietly.

"Ronan," Sydney whimpered from behind him.

Ronan turned to look at him and watched as the corner of Sydney's mouth turned up. He sat back against his heels, clasping his hands in his lap. Patrick held his sandwich wrapped in his lap and was scraping some crumbs into his lap, clearing the area around him. Riley was watching the two of them intently. Noah was brushing his hair into his face and Rhuben was looking around the room.

"Well, they just sat down to eat," Ronan said to Robert before stepping closer to his business partner. "Listen, I don't think this is a good time. If you're drunk, you shouldn't be here."

"Then I'll just talk here," Robert said, brushing past Ronan, practically shoving him into the door. He turned his attention to Riley. "Where were you all night?"

"I was at Ronan's," Riley replied. Ronan's head snapped towards her. She didn't look at him as she kept her eyes on her dad. "Working on songs. You weren't done at the party and the guys were getting tired. Rhubes took 'em home and I wasn't tired yet so I went over there. You know me, I don't really sleep and I didn't want to wake them with the music."

"I," Robert swallowed thickly. "Yeah, I gotcha. But, those boys. Nothing but trouble. I heard their party got really out of hand." He waved his hand into the air. "You need. You need to be careful. Parties can get out of hand." He blinked a few times before shaking his head, putting his hands on his hips. "You guys have been spending too much time with Gustavo's new band."

"Rob, I don't think this is the time to talk about this," Ronan said, putting a hand on Robert's shoulder. "It's not a surprise that they're becoming friends; I mean they're all working together. Plus, it helps to know that they have people around that have gone through all of this. That's why we signed the contract in the first place. Remember?"

"I'm fully aware of that, thanks," Robert said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "They're jusss getting in the way of our work, that's all. It's all fine and dandy that they're demos got picked. If their band is successful, they have us to thank of course. I mean—" He oddly jabbed himself in the chest. "I mean, me."

"Of course," Ronan agreed with a nod, clapping Robert on the shoulder. "This was your idea after all."

"Right," Robert said with a nod. "Too bad things aren't going as smoothly as with that Zevon kid. Nice guy. Hey, sweetheart, he's going to New York again soon, isn't he?" Rhuben's eyebrows twitched slightly but she nodded. "Good, good. He's a great guy. Always got work under his belt. Gustavo wanted to talk to him; talk about Day with Deke for the boys. Great little bit of exposure. And to talk about new venues in New York to perform. Gotta start thinking about tour you know."

"That's right, Rob," Ronan replied, guiding him towards the door. "In fact, we're meeting with Gustavo about it this week. Look, I really think you should get going. We have a lot to do today."

"Right, right, of course," Robert said with a nod. "Good work today, kids. Proud. Real proud." He gave an odd wave before making his way out of the room, closing the door behind him, slamming it a little harder than he need to.

Ronan let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. _Yep! Something's definitely wrong_. He then turned towards the Jacksons, clapping his hands together, putting a smile to his face. "Once you're finished eating, we have a lot of work to do today if we want these mastered in time for tour."

"I'm done," Sydney said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. He scrunched up his sandwich wrapper, getting to his feet. "I'm going to go wash my hands."

"Wait up," Patrick said, clapping his hands together. "No, you coming?" Noah silently nodded.

"Gotta pee," Rhuben said, following her brothers to the door. Riley silently got to his feet and followed her sister. She leaned back in a moment later.

"Ronan?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Ronan asked, turning back around to face her, giving her a gentle smile. She smiled in reply.

"Thanks," she replied before hurrying after her brothers and sister.

"Anytime," Ronan replied, although eh knew that she couldn't hear him. "Anytime." He let out a sigh through his nose before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the closed door before punching in a number, holding his phone to his ear. "Yeah, Kace? It's Ronan. I was wondering when you got back from San Diego. You think we could meet up? Great, thanks."

* * *

**A/N: **I'm debating on whether or not I'm actually going to do Big Time Blogger as, in my opinion, that was really just a filler episode and it wasn't really needed. I might just mention it or I might be doing it out of order with Big Time Terror. Not sure yet. Don't worry, Mrs. Knight _will_ find out about Kendall being drunk and there's going to be more Lomille coming up as well.

Anyway, I was re-reading what I had so far and while this is a Kendall-Centric fic, I didn't feel like I was really kepeing up with that. That's just my own opinion but I am my own worst critic. I'm curious to know what you guys think.

Cheers

-Rhuben


	32. It's Time to F(r)ight

**~32~**

"I won't know how to help you if you don't say anything."

Ronan made a noise in the back of his throat before glancing up at her from his gaze on the table in front of him before running a hand over his face. "Sorry," he replied. "I didn't invite you over here just to not talk." He drummed his fingers on the counter. "So, how was your trip to San Diego?"

Kacy smiled. "It was great," she replied, "I needed some time to get away and it was nice to have Katie there with me. She doesn't get to do a lot back at the Palm Woods while the boys are out working." She paused and then looked at him. "But, I'm sure this is not why you asked me here."

"No," Ronan agreed with a nod. "I wanted to ask you what you think of me applying to be a foster parent and adopting the Jacksons."

"I'm sure I've already gave you my two cents about this," Kacy said with a small frown. "It's obvious that you have a strong bond with them and they really do look up to you."

"We had a meeting with Griffin earlier today," Ronan said with a sigh, "at Gustavo's place. It was nothing short of a disaster. Not only did Robert come here the other day, drunk, but he—"

"He attended the meeting drunk?" Kacy asked, her eyes widening. She put her hand over her mouth in a gasp when Ronan nodded. "Did Griffin notice?"

"If he did, he did a good job at hiding it," Ronan replied with a sigh, reaching for his glass of lemonade.

Ronan thought Griffin did a good job at keeping the meeting on topic whether or not he knew about the older man being under the influence. But how could anyone not know? Between Robert's loud bout of laughter whenever anything even slightly odd came out of Griffin's mouth. And knowing the CEO for the past couple years a _lot _of odd things came out of his mouth. It was just more evident with Robert being around, laughing every time.

But, that was the lesser of two evils with his loud exclamations and commands of things being set up for his kids like performances in Orlando, Florida and New York, New York as part of the tour and in return they would bring fame to the city by going to Rockefeller Center or spending the day at Disney World. Even Ronan couldn't deny that even drunk, Robert could come up with good ideas to help both bands out.

"I'm surprised we got anything done," Ronan said before pushing a stack of paper towards her. "This is just a list of ideas we have to get ready for the tour. Radio appearances, interviews, TV appearances, stuff like that." He padded the table with his hand. "I just can't go on tour with them being watched by him. You think he's stressed out now…he's completely unrecognizable when tour comes around."

He let out a heavy sigh, scratching his forehead. "This is what I called you here for, but I also wanted to ask you an important question," Ronan said to Kacy. "I wanted to ask if you would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me. I'm meeting with a social worker real soon. I only need two and I've asked Gustavo and Kelly to write one for me, but I didn't think a third would hurt."

Kacy briefly closed her eyes, raking her fingers through her hair. Ronan pressed his lips together as he watched her. He suddenly wished he hadn't asked. She looked uncomfortable and suddenly looked upset. He thought she'd be the best person to ask, having been the only friend he had with two kids, and three pseudo sons.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Ronan said with a shake of his head. "I just thought I'd ask. I mean, I know you don't know me that well, I didn't mean to make you upset."

"You didn't, it's just…" Kacy trailed off and let out an odd laugh. "If there's anyone to ask in a case like this…I'm the perfect person."

Ronan's eyebrows knitted together in confusion before they shot up as a look of shock crossed his face. Kacy slowly nodded. "I tried to tell you before. But, um, the reason my husband and I are separated…he used to hit Kendall."

Ronan let out a sigh, running his hand over his face. "D-did he, um, did he ever hit…you? Or Katie?"

"No, Katie was his angel," Kacy replied with a brief shake of his head. "He always called her that. You would never know that he'd have an anger problem." She let out an odd laugh. "And anger problem. That's a funny way of putting it. He and Robert are alike in that case." She raked her fingers through her hair. "He drank and yelled a lot. It was like he took all of his anger out on Kendall."

Ronan cringed when he saw tears gathering in Kacy's eyes. "Anytime he or I messed something up, or something wasn't to his standards, he flew off the handle. He would drink and park himself in front of the TV, just waiting for something to set him off." She wiped at her eyes, her nose, cheeks, and eyes red. "I tried to find him AA places and I tried to get him to take anger management classes, I think that just made things worse."

"He was well known back at home. He's a well respected lawyer, you see," Kacy explained, taking the napkin that Ronan handed her with a brief smile of thanks. "And everyone knew that Kendall was as great a hockey player as he is because of his dad. Kevin, that's his name, pushed him so hard, he drilled him every night and extra hard before a big game. But, that was how they bonded; Kendall and Kevin, through hockey. Despite everything that happened between them, Kendall looked up to his dad. But, not now."

"You mentioned that you two were separated," Ronan said quietly as Kacy used the corner of the napkin to dab at her eyes.

She snorted. "Separated in the sense that he just up and left one night," she explained with a shake of her head. "Well, I had asked him to leave. I didn't want him around my kids until he got better. He took that into disappearing from our lives. It was the night of a championship hokey game, a game the two of them had been preparing for for months. He went to all the practices with his friends, but every night he would come home and his dad would work him as hard as he could; Kendall practically fell asleep in his dinner, he was so exhausted. Kevin made him call him 'Coach' when they were training."

She lifted her hands, showing her fingers. "He has some scars on his fingers; sometimes Kevin would purposefully step on his fingers with the sharp skate blades. The doctors started to expect Kendall at their office after a while. Playing hockey a lot, injuries are bound to happen. I don't know what they were thinking about our home life; I can only imagine what they gossiped about, but I guess I have to thank them for not calling Child Protective Services."

"And then one night, he snapped. Kendall was so exhausted from all the harsh training his father put him through that he clearly didn't play at his best. He lost the championship game. Kevin was furious. But, he didn't say anything, you could just tell. And this is where I blame myself for not doing anything before. I knew he was a ticking time bomb, but I left to find and secure a place for him in anger management courses or alcoholics anonymous."

"The kids were asleep, he was watching TV, I didn't think I'd be home that late. I don't know what exactly happened, Kendall hasn't ever told me. But, I came home and I found Kendall lying on the floor. He was bruised, he looked like he had been slapped around, but he was sobbing and calling for me. Kevin had burned him. He has a cigarette burn on the back of his neck. I didn't even know that he smoked. Well, I knew he smoked, but I thought he had given it up at the time."

"That's why I was so hesitant about helping. I didn't want to have to relive it, to bring up those memories. Ever since he left I promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone hurt my kids again. Kevin sent child support checks and it helped, but growing up, Kendall saw how hard it was for me and that's why he got a job. He still grew up to be the sweet, responsible, and loyal young man we know now, because he didn't want to be like his dad. He wants to help people and be there for people. He looked out for Katie and made sure that no one picked on her. He can have a terrible temper, and I think that's what made him go off and attack WayneWayne. After that moment, he came to me and asked me if what happened to him really happened. "

"I knew that he had been having nightmares, but I never realized he had been suppressing those memories. We just never talked about it; we didn't want to scare Katie, but we never figured out the best time to tell her. She still doesn't know. She doesn't talk about her father because she had always been upset that he left. It was like he all but dropped off the face of the Earth. But, anytime their father is brought up the two of them act differently; Katie goes quiet and Kendall gets mad. But, I couldn't be any more proud of them."

"Only, ever since we got out to LA, he's been calling and texting me. At first I was confused as to how he knew we were out there, but Gustavo's new boy band was big news. I still couldn't believe it; I couldn't believe that he wanted Kendall to sing. The boys were so excited. But, James…he was also upset. He was the one who wanted his dream of singing to come true and while it was happening, it wasn't happening because of him; it was because of Kendall."

"James has always been about himself; with a mother who's head of a cosmetics company and a father who's all about outwards appearance, I'm not surprised, but he's been working hard, you can tell he really wants this. And Kendall really wants this for James as well. He's always so nervous about things turning out badly because he knows everything is essentially on his shoulders. But, he always pulls through; it's the captain side of him, I guess. It's why James, Carlos, and Logan look up to him and look for his guidance on things. It's why I'm so proud of him."

Ronan was at a loss of words. He slowly got out of his seat, a hand to his mouth before he started pacing back and forth in the kitchen to his apartment. His mind was spinning and now he was feeling like a jerk, asking her to help him out with his own problems. But, at the same time, her own experiences could help him out, which made him feel even _more _like a jerk because he felt like he was exploiting her for his own needs.

_I can't believe this, _he thought, moving to lean against his refrigerator for a moment. He tilted his head back, briefly closing his eyes. "Kendall doesn't need to put so much pressue on himself," he said and then looked straight at her, "and neither should you. You're a great parent and you've raised Kendall well." Kacy nodded. "Seriously." She still didn't look convinced and Ronan returned to his stool, resting his elbows on the island, looking over at the woman in front of him.

"A little while after the boys started work on their album Gustavo, Kelly, and I sat down and talked about your boys," Ronan explained, "and how we think they would do in this industry. We talked about what we thought of them. We had nothing but good things to say about each and every one of them—Gustavo had choice words to say, of course. Even my kids; we talked to them about it; and while they may not always be so open and warm with people, they see good things in the four of them."

"That's good," Kacy said with an odd laugh. "Those boys are trying so hard to be their friends, but they just won't let them in."

"I can assure you that whatever they're doing, it's working," Ronan said, giving her a gentle smile. "There's been a definite change since they've met you guys." He shook his head back and forth. "A good change, I mean. Look, I didn't mean for you to go back to your bad memories or any—"

"No, no," Kacy said shaking her head. "I just wanted you to understand that I know how important this is for you. But, I have been keeping an eye out for anything. It's like you said, Robert hasn't done anything lately, not that I've noticed. No bruises, no injuries. The girls are still pretty short with me but the boys are respectful."

She let out a sigh through her nose before her lips twitched up into a smile. "And in regards to not knowing you that well," she commented, "I know all I need to know."

"Thank you." Ronan smiled before scratching at his eyebrow. "I'm kind of surprised Rob didn't do anything. Riley had used me as a scapegoat the other day, and I'm sure he knows she was lying." Kacy's eyebrows shot up. "It's not the first time she's been out all night but she at least lets me know where she's going to be."

"Does she tell you why she leaves?" Kacy asked.

"Just to get out for a while," Ronan replied with a shrug. "And I know that this really isn't any of my business and I had promised her that I wouldn't say anything, but given the circumstances, I think it's best that you know."

"Know what?" Kacy asked.

Ronan pressed his lips together for a moment, scratching at his hairline. He knew that if he told Riley would get mad at him, but it wasn't something he hadn't dealt with before. He knew how to handle her when she was mad; but he hated seeing the look in her eyes whenever she was. Like he betrayed her or she expected more from him. But, he knew that this was the right thing.

"Kendall and the boys had a party while you were gone," Ronan replied, "and Kendall got drunk. Riles and them were at the party she stayed over to help him out."

* * *

_Keep getting, stuck, stuck._

_But, I'm never giving, up, up._

_In the middle of a, perfect day._

_I'm tripping over, words to say._

_'Cause I don't want to keep you guessing_

_But, I always end up getting_

_Stuck, stuck, but I'm never giving_

_Up, up_

Kendall smiled to himself as he looked over the fire pit and over at Jo. She was clapping along to the beat of the song he, James, Carlos, and Logan were singing. The kids at the Palm Woods were excited for them getting their demos chosen and had all but demanded them to sing one of the songs for them. And it was good practice for them. He couldn't help but smile as he sang. The words were perfect and it described how he was with Jo perfectly.

He was happy to know that she wasn't giving up on him for one stupid mistake he made. He really felt like they worked well together. Sure, they hadn't ever really gone on dates what with him constantly working in the studio or having dance rehearsals and her going on auditions, but the time they could spend at the Palm Woods together, getting to know each other more, was what really mattered to him.

"That song was great," Camille said with a smile, over the clapping that the other hopefuls at the Palm Woods gave once they finished singing. James gave a bow. "You guys sounded awesome."

"Thank you, Guitar Dude, for playing along with us," Logan said with a smile, pointing to the shaggy haired guitar player who merely lifted a hand in the air.

"So, what'd you guys think?" Carlos asked, rubbing his hands together. "Good? Bad?"

"It was cute," Jo replied, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "I loved it." Kendall felt his smile get wider at her compliment. "Griffin did the right thing, picking your demos."

"He would've been a giant turd if he didn't," James said with a snort, adjusting his shirt and fixing his hair. "I mean, look at me. He could get some great attention to the label just from my sex appeal alone." He grinned over at the girls in front of him as Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan rolled their eyes.

Kendall did get annoyed with James constantly thinking about himself and talking himself up, but he has known him since he was a kid. James had had his back more times than he could count. They were best friends.

They were brothers.

He knew because of that he should explain to at least James as to why he drank as James, being so obsessed with his body and hitting the gym, had explained to him time and time again how drinking didn't help his body, it only hurt him. He knew he must've let him down in some way, he just wasn't sure how to bring it up. James seemed to not know either as it seemed like he was trying hard to avoid the subject of the party all together.

The party.

Kendall was embarrassed. He was the one who had tried his hardest to talk his friends into making sure things ran smoothly, and then he was one of the ones that made it worse.

"I thought it was great," Camille said with a smile as the other residents of the Palm Woods headed off, talking to each other, smiling happily. "It was catchy, it had a nice rhythm. Your guys' album is going to be great."

"Thanks, Camille," Kendall said with a smile. He started to rock back and forth on his feet. "How are your auditions going?"

He felt bad about what he had said about her a well. Yes, he did think she was crazy, but with how she could work herself into any character was a quality that any casting director would be crazy to pass her up on.

"I have a couple auditions lined up for this week that I'm excited about," Camille replied, clasping her hands together in her lap. "Jo and I were going to head out to them together." Jo smiled at the wavy haired girl. "We're bound to land something."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be convincing," Kendall said to her. "_Really_, convincing. Just like all your other monologues."

He gently touched his face. He could practically feel the stinging slap of her hand against his cheek. He had been used a fair few times as her punching—or rather _slapping_ bag whenever she was practicing. They didn't call her _the_ Palm Wood's Method Actress for nothing.

"Thanks," Camille replied with a brief smile. It wouldn't be a surprise if Jo and Camille talked so he was sure that Camille knew what he had said about her. But, he felt good. He was sure that she had just accepted his masked apology.

"Camille, have you ever landed a role?" Carlos flat out asked, earning slaps to his arms and head from his three friends. Kendall shot him an annoyed look and he seemed to curl in on himself, looking at all of them with a wide eyed look. "What?"

"It's ok, Carlos," Camille said, leaning forward to pat his hand. "I have here and there, just nothing recently. It doesn't bother me that much either. That's showbiz." She shrugged before brushing her hair behind her ears. "I know I'm doing the best I can. Can't imagine why they don't hire me though."

"I could give you one reason why," Carlos muttered under his breath getting an elbow to the ribs from Logan.

"You know, that's a great way of looking at things," Logan commented, smiling at her. Camille blushed under his gaze. Kendall glanced over at Jo and locked eyes with her, feeling a knowing smile come to his face.

"Stuff like this happens all the time," Camille waved her hand in the air before beaming at Logan. "But, thanks for the compliment, Logan."

"You're welco—" Logan stopped in the middle of his sentence when he heard a loud scraping sound. They all turned around and watched as a table was slowly dragged across the Palm Woods pool deck and into the lobby of the Palm Woods seconds before the doors slammed shut.

And then he was off, screaming and running after his friends as they ran to the safety of apartment 2J. He was the last one in and threw his body weight against the door to shut it.

_Bang!_

_Kendall jumped as the front door to his home was slammed shut so hard the walls practically shook. He adjusted his skate bag on his shoulder, watching as Katie hurried off to her room, practically skipping. His mom made her way into the kitchen saying she was going to start dinner. His dad on the other hand was standing near him, tapping his foot angrily on the floor._

_"Dad—"_

_Kendall groaned when Kevin's hand clamped down on top of his head before his head was forced back so he was staring up into the cold green eyes of his father. "You ruined it, son," Kevin said, his voice a harsh whisper. "You had the championship in the bag and you ruined it."_

_"I was tired," Kendall replied, squeezing his eyes against the pain. "I'm sorry."_

_"Second place are the biggest losers, remember?" Kevin asked, tightening his grip on Kendall's hair. His scalp burned and he reached up his hands to try and pull his dad's thick fingers off of his head._

_"That hurts," Kendall groaned through clenched teeth. "Dad, let go." _

_He let out a sigh of relief when his dad let him go. He rubbed the top of his head, his bottom lip quivering as Kevin grabbed his elbow, marching him over to the stairs, forcing him to sit down on a step._

_"That was embarrassing, Kendall," Kevin said quietly, kneeling down in front of his son. "I know you can do better than that. You and I have been working hard for this day."_

_"I know, dad," Kendall replied with a nod. He did know. _

_He wanted to win that championship title as much as the next person. But, it was too much pressure. Everyone was gunning for him. Everyone knew he was the best player, everyone knew that he wanted to have a future in hockey. _

_It was just too much pressure._

_"Look at me."_

_Kendall looked upwards, but didn't lift his head. He flinched when Kevin shot out his hand, but instead his dad gently tapped the bottom of his chin and Kendall lifted his head. Kevin looked him square in the eye._

_"I know you can do better," Kevin said quietly. "But, you keep messing things up and I can't keep bailing you out. You're an embarrassment. A disappointment. You can't to do anything right." Kendall nodded. "Now get out of my face before I get _really _angry."_

_Kendall nodded and jumped to his feet, scurrying up the stairs. His foot caught the top stair and he tripped over his bag, slamming his knee into the ground, feeling the end of his hockey stick jab himself in the stomach. Wheezing, he quickly got to his feet, hurrying into the safety of his room._

"I'm telling you, it was a ghost," Carlos loudly insisted, taking Kendall out of his thoughts.

"And I'm telling you, it wasn't," Logan replied with a brief eye roll.

"_Then what was it_?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was the _air conditioner_," Logan replied, crossing his own arms over his chest. "The air conditioner kicked on in the lobby, causing a back draft and caused the doors to shut." He used his hands to mime doors shutting closed before smiling smugly at his friends.

"So, then how do you explain the ghost table?" James asked.

Kendall watched as Logan hesitated for a brief moment. "I will tell you _that_…later," he replied, pointing at him.

Carlos rolled his eyes, scoffing. "I'll tell you what it was," he insisted. "It was a ghost and it could be after us!"

"Carlitos, chill," Kendall said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "There is no such things as ghosts _and _there is no ghost that is after us." Suddenly, there was loud banging on the door to the apartment and James and Carlos let out a loud scream, running over to Logan, grasping his arms as they fearfully faced the door. "Guys, there is nothing terrifying behind this door."

"Open it, then," Logan insisted.

Kendall sighed, rolling his eyes as he turned around to face the door. He grasped the door handle and pulled the door open to face his mom. He blinked in surprise. "Hi, mom," Kendall said uncertainly, "why are you knocking on the door? We live here?"

"I was giving myself more time to cool down," Mrs. Knight replied in a tight voice as she walked past him and into the apartment. "Katie, come out here, please."

"What's going on, Mama Knight?" Logan asked, sharing a confused look with Kendall.

Kendall took one look at his mother's stature (hip jutted out, arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot) and his heart sank. _She knows. _He knew she knew what went while she was gone. He held back a groan and raked his fingers through his hair. He pressed his back against the door. He didn't know how he thought they had a chance of getting away with it. His mom knew everything.

"Katie, _now, please_," Mrs. Knight said as she set her purse down onto the table. She let out a sigh as she waited for her daughter to join them.

"Hey, mom," Katie greeted cheerfully. She then slowed to a stop when she looked at everyone's faces. "What's…going on?"

"I didn't think I'd have to have this talk with you guys again," Mrs. Knight commented, briefly shaking her head. "I've told you how dangerous it is to have parties here without adult supervision. Not only did you disobey me when I told you that you could not have any parties while we were gone, but Kendall got drunk."

Kendall squeezed his eyes shut. He heard Katie gasp and could feel her eyes searing into his body. He hung his head before looking up at his mom. "Not only was that one of my concerns, but what if something happened? What if someone got hurt? You don't have any way to get to a hospital," Mrs. Knight explained. She didn't raise her voice at all, she just talked in a strong, even tone, which, in Kendall's opinion was worse.

"Well, we didn't need to go to the hospital," Carlos spoke up, scratching the back of his neck. "We just gave Kendall some ice and—" He let out a squeak and clapped his hands over his mouth as Kendall slapped himself in the forehead. Logan groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, and James shuffled his weight from foot to foot.

"Kendall got hurt?" Mrs. Knight asked, a worried look crossing her face. She walked over to Kendall, and looked him over. "Are you ok?"

"Just got into a fight, mom, that's all," Kendall muttered. "Mom, I'm ok."

"Obviously you're not ok in the head if you actually did something completely stupid like getting drunk," Katie snapped, shaking her head back and forth.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Kendall said with a heavy sigh. "Look, I didn't know the lemonade was spiked. I don't know who brought it in. We already had two strikes on our door, and we couldn't go to the album party, and it was only a social gathering, and then it got out of hand, and this guy was messing with Jo, and we got into a fight, and—I'm sorry." He winced slightly when his mom's fingers grazed the skin by his eye. He gently grasped her wrists and removed her hands from his face. She took a couple steps back from him. "Mom, this really isn't a big deal."

"Finding out that my son got drunk and had a party when I told him not to isn't a big deal?" Mrs. Knight asked. She briefly closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm not angry with you, I'm disappointed. Your actions really could've hurt someone or if Bitters found out, we could've gotten kicked out. And you know that we can't afford anywhere else."

"We're really sorry, Mama Knight," James said quietly.

"I know you are," Mrs. Knight said with a shake of her head. "I really wish you told me what happened as soon as it was over so I didn't have to find out through someone else."

"How did you find out?" Carlos asked quietly.

"That doesn't matter," Mrs. Knight said with a shake of her head. "Just know that this has really made me lose trust in your boys. Even when you went against Gustavo's rules when you were mansion sitting, you showed responsibility and called me when things got out of hand, and you didn't do that here. I thought I—and your mothers—have taught you better than that." She looked over at James, Carlos, and Logan. "I'm going to have to tell your parents what happened here."

"No, Mama Knight, please," Carlos begged, clasping his fingers together. He stuck out his bottom lip. "You can't do that. We won't do it again, we promise."

"I'm sorry, but while you boys are out here, I'm responsible for you and I know that they'd want to hear about this," Mrs. Knight replied.

Kendall looked over at her and saw that she did look sincere with her apology. His mom and James, Carlos, and Logan's moms were best friends with each other, it was only natural that she would explain to them what happened. As well, even Mrs. Knight knew how angry they could get, and when they were _all _mad about a collective problem…you might as well wish you were dead.

"My mom is going to kill me," Logan groaned, running his hands over his face.

"Well, my dad's going to throw a fit…and _then _kill me," James muttered, letting out a breath of air in a loud woosh. "He's going to track me down, find me here, and snap me in half."

"Mom, can't you just let this slide this one time?" Kendall asked. "I mean, this was the _one time _we did something like this. I've never had a drink before until the other night."

"I can look over some parts of it, but this isn't the first time you've gotten yourselves in trouble," Mrs. Knight replied. She briefly shook her head. "At least the police weren't involved this time."

"I…._might _not have apologized about that either," Kendall said with a sheepish grin. "So, I'm sorry—_we're_ sorry—about that and about this." He then gave his mom a warm smile. "And, I love you."

"I know you do," Mrs. Knight said, giving him a small smile in reply.

"Are we all going to just ignore the fact that Kendall was drunk?" Katie loudly asked, gaining everyone's attention. Kendall could barely looked at her. The look of hurt and anger in her eyes was hard to see. He never thought about how this was going to affect her. He knew that Katie looked up to him, sometimes it just didn't register to him that she did. "I thought you were going to punish him or something mom, he got drunk. And this whole time he warned me about drinking and doing drugs. Do you smoke, too? Like dad?"

Kendall winced, instantly reaching to rub the back of his neck, his finger grazing the burn on the back of his neck. Mrs. Knight gave Katie a sharp look and she laughed. "Yeah, I knew he drank. I remember him smelling of smoke all the time, too. I just didn't think Kendall would actually be an_ idiot_ and do it too."

"Katie," he said quietly, "I didn't do it on—"

"Yeah, I know, you didn't do it on purpose," Katie interrupted him, her upper lip curling slightly. "But, that doesn't change the fact you kept drinking. Surely you would've known it tasted weird."

"Yeah," James said quietly and Kendall looked over at him. "Even I noticed it was weird. I don't know who spiked it, but…I didn't drink it. So, why did you?" Kendall couldn't figure out how he was feeling about the whole thing, but he was happy that James was finally talking about it.

"I'm sorry, ok?" Kendall asked, feeling himself getting annoyed.

This was what he wanted to avoid; the constant talking in circles and hurting people's feelings, and having to explain things. He didn't want his friends or Katie to know why he did it. It was just so easy to forget it all happened.

"Sorry you drank, sorry you lied about it, or sorry you got caught?" Katie asked.

"That's enough, Katie," Mrs. Knight said quietly. "I understand you're upset. But, this wasn't for you to attack your brother. I wanted to show you just how dangerous and serious a situation like this is and how it affects everybody." Katie opened her mouth and Mrs. Knight continued. "And I know that you already know this, but it'll help you if you hear this over and over again." Katie closed her mouth, nodding.

Mrs. Knight turned back to Kendall and the boys. "I'll deal with the fact that you all disobeyed me—"

"It was actually a loophole—" Carlos made another squeaking sound, but this time in pain as James and Carlos slapped his arms.

"But, why were you drinking in the first place?" Mrs. Knight asked. "You might not think this is a big deal, but rest assured, that it is. I'm glad that you had someone here to help you out—"

"Mama Knight, I helped as well," Logan said quietly, putting his hand into the air. Mrs. Knight gave him a nod of thanks.

"But, that does not lessen the seriousness of this situation," Mrs. Knight said, turning back to her son. She let out a heavy sigh. "I need to think about what punishment I'm going to give you all. Just go, do something."

"Yes, ma'am," Logan said quietly, before he moved to go into his room. Carlos hurried over to the orange couch and Mrs. Knight followed Katie to their room.

"Sorry," James said quietly.

"Me too," Kendall replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know…you can tell me about what's going on with you," James said quietly. He pressed his lips together for a moment. "I know, Kendall."

"You've never drank a day in your—"

"I know about your dad," James said, interrupting Kendall. Kendall's words died on his lips and he bowed his head. "I've known for a while now…ever since WayneWayne—"

"You were eavesdropping on my conversation with my mom?" Kendall asked, interrupting James. _This is not happening_.

James stepped closer to him, lowering his voice. "Look, dude, you helped me with my parents," James said quietly. "You gave me a place to stay when I didn't want to be shuttled back and forth. You didn't tell Logan or Carlos what was going on until I wanted to. You're my brother and I want to help you."

"Well, you don't need to help since my dad's gone," Kendall said with a haughty sniff. "Everything's fine now. Mom, Katie and I are happy and we're out here making your dreams come true."

"So let me pay you back for that," James said. Kendall watched as his eyes moved skyward for a moment before glancing back at him. "You've done so much for me, Kendall, the least I can do is help _you_."

"I don't need help, ok?" Kendall asked. "I didn't need help before and I don't need it—get off." James had stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "Let go, James." But, James continued to hug his friend, not saying anything. Kendall felt his tense muscles slowly relax after a while and then he quickly hugged his friend back. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?" James asked. "Kendall, this whole time you've been thinking about me and what I wanted to do with my life—"

"You deserve it," Kendall replied, shoving his friend's shoulder. "I've always known you had talent. I always told you that you were going to do big things in your life and now here you are."

"Yeah, thanks to you," James replied, shoving him back. The two of them laughed quietly for a moment. "You've always looked out for us, Kendall. Just let us do that for you sometimes." He slid his hands into his jeans pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Does anyone else know? I mean, with how smart Logan is I figured he would—"

"He knows," Kendall said and James nodded. "I made him promise not to tell."

"I won't tell," James replied, "but I mean, Carlos will feel left out and pout and just be annoying about us knowing something that he doesn't know. " Kendall nodded. "But, I won't tell anyone else."

"Thanks," Kendall said giving James a smile as he heard a cell phone jingle hit the air. He looked over at the table and grasped his mom's purse. "Mom." He reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, making her way through the back hall towards her room. "Mom, you've got a text."

He pressed his thumb into the button on the side of his mom's phone, causing the face plate to light up And as soon as it did, he wished he hadn't done that. Setting his jaw, he made his way into his mom's room.

"Why are you talking to him?" Kevin demanded, throwing his mom's phone onto her bed. Mrs. Knight glanced up from her computer.

"What's going on, Kendall?" Katie asked.

"Not now, Katie," Kendall replied, keeping his eyes on his mom, waving his hand in the air. "Mom, why are you still talking with him? Why doesn't he want to see us? Why now?" Katie looked back and forth between her brother and her mom, confusion and worry written all over her face. "Mom."

"First, Kendall, don't raise your voice at me," Mrs. Knight said as she moved her laptop aside. He tossed his bag onto her bed, watching it bounce once. "Second, I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw my things like that, and third, you don't understa—"

"Obviously, I don't since you haven't told me why you're talking to dad after everything he did to us," Kendall shot back. A pained expression crossed Mrs. Knight's face, before turning towards Katie. Katie's eyebrows knitted together.

"What is he talking about?" Katie asked quietly, turning towards Mrs. Knight. Kendall's mom looked over at him, but he pressed his lips together. "You've been talking to dad? What does Kendall mean? What'd he do?" She got no answer. "Mom!"

"Kendall, you shouldn't have said anything—"

"You _should've _said something!" Kendall replied. He felt his hands curling into fists. "You saw what he did to this family and yet you still want to talk to him? We haven't seen him for nine fucking years!"

"Watch your language, Kendall," Mrs. Knight said in a warning tone and Kendall snorted, scratching the back of his neck. She put her hands in the air before motioning for Kendall to sit down. But, he didn't move. "Look, there's something both of you need to know. I'm sorry I haven't told you until now, but up until recently, I haven't figure out what to do about it." She lifted her cell phone, waving it in the air. "I understand what you saw, Kendall would upset you."

"What did you see?" Katie asked, slapping her hand down onto the mattress of her bed.

"Mom's been communicating with dad," Kendall replied before Mrs. Knight could say anything. "She's been talking to him for months now, talking about us. He wants to see us." He swiveled his green eyes over to his mom. "Why does he suddenly want to see us?"

Mrs. Knight let out a heavy sigh, scratching at her forehead. "Because he's here," Mrs. Knight replied and Kendall felt his jaw drop. He exchanged glances with Katie, who looked to be just as shocked as he felt. "In Los Angeles."

Kendall felt his heart sink. His muscles tightened. His jaw dropped even further. He broke his gaze from Katie and slowly shook his head back and forth. "You knew that this whole time and you didn't say anything?" he asked quietly.

"Because I knew you'd act like this," Mrs. Knight replied with a heavy sigh. "I haven't decided on anything and I haven't been talking to him for that long. For a while I just ignored him."

"You should've said we weren't interested, because we're _not," _Kendall said with a shake of his head. "Mom, you were the one that asked him to leave—"

"But, I didn't ask him to run out on us," Mrs. Knight shot back. "I had to do what I had to do to keep you safe."

"Stop ignoring me!" Katie said loudly. "Everybody ignores me around here. I hate this place! I hate it!"

"Katie—" Mrs. Knight and Kendall said in unison.

"No," Katie interrupted them. "You…you had this party without me, you go to the pier without me, you don't do anything with me anymore and I'm sick of it." Kendall blinked, taken aback. Plain and simple, he hadn't noticed her. What with all the studio work and dealing with Gustavo, and But, you _are _going to tell me what you're talking about. Why did you ask dad to leave and why is he trying to get in touch with us?"

Mrs. Knight put her face in her hands for a moment before motioning for Kendall to sit down. He slowly lowered himself to perch on the edge of Katie's bed. "What I'm about to tell you, is going to be hard," she said quietly. "And I'm sorry I hadn't told you before but…I did ask your father to leave, but I did it for you, Katie and for Kendall. I didn't ask for him to drop out of your life, essentially, I just wanted him out of the house until he could find some help for himself."

"For his drinking?" Katie asked. Kendall looked over at her and saw that she was repeatedly rubbing her lips together, blinking.

"No," Mrs. Knight replied, shaking her head. She moved to sit on Katie's bed, gently taking her daughter's hand. "He was…sweetie, he hurting Kendall. He was hitting him."

Katie sucked in a breath of air. She slowly shook her head back and forth, looking at her mom, and then at Kendall, and then back at her mom. Kendall watched as her face turned a bright red and slowly started to crumple. He felt his eyes start to sting before tears quickly flooded his own vision. "Mom, no, that's not what happened. Dad…dad loved us."

"Yes, sweetheart, he did love you," Mrs. Knight replied, nodding her head. "But, he had a problem. He had a drinking problem and he had an anger problem, and he just didn't know how to handle it."

"Kendall…Kendall, that didn't happen," Katie said, openly crying now. He kept his gaze down on his lap. "He never hurt you. He'd never hurt us, he said that. He promised that."

"And yet, he still left," Kendall bitterly replied. "It's true, Katie."

"But…but, I was his angel," Katie said, her voice barely above a whisper. She sniffed loudly. "Why didn't you tell me?" Kendall winced. He could feel how hurt she was without having to look at her. There was a low pop and Kendall turned his head to see Katie's fist down onto the bed. "Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Mrs. Knight said as tears slipped down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Katie, and Katie tried to pull away from her for a moment she allowed herself to be pulled into her mom's arms. Kendall wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his knees to his chest.

_Real men don't cry. _That's what his dad had always told him. He rolled his eyes. _A real man also doesn't hide from his family. _He looked over at his mom when he felt a tug on his elbow. He allowed her to pull him closer to her. He laid down, letting out a breath of air through his nose.

A single tear slid down his cheek.

* * *

Stephanie King watched as her dad yelled at Mr. Bitters in the Palm Woods lobby and tried hard not to smile. He was part of a group of residents screaming about the "Palm Woods Ghost." But, she wasn't worried. _She _was the Palm Woods Ghost, only not really. She was trying to create a no budget short film. _That _would look great on her resume.

She ha d just moved to the Palm Woods for film making. She had made a little name for herself back home with her film making; getting into some film festivals, winning some awards, getting great feedback for—no cringe worthy—work. She thought now was a good time to come out to LA. It wasn't hard for her to convince her dad to let her come out; he was her biggest fan after all.

She just didn't think he would be too happy to know that she was manipulating him just for the sake of making a great film. Sure, he'd be mad at first when she decided there was a good time to tell him, but she knew he'd be proud just the same.

"My daughter and I did not come here to be woken up by strange noises and slamming doors," her dad shouted, jabbing her finger onto Mr. Bitters's desk. She puffed out her chest, smiling to herself. Strange noises (scratching her fingernails over the air vent) and slamming doors (ah, the magic of fishing line) that was all her.

"It's just some plumbing and electrical problems," Mr. Bitters loudly reassured everyone. "I can assure you that it'll all be fixed, today."

_Wrong, you're _so _wrong, _Stephanie thought, instantly wiping the smile from her face when her dad looped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to the counter. "It's a ghost," she declared, throwing her arms into the air. She grinned when she got some shouts of agreement. _Perfect._

"There _is no ghost_," Mr. Bitters insisted. "But, I am happy to offer a free in home movie for anyone in inconvenience.

_Cool_, Stephanie thought. _Maybe a good horror flick can get the ball rolling that much faster._

"Come on, Steph," her dad said, placing his hand on the small of her back, gently pushing her towards the elevators. "A movie might not be so bad. What do you think of staying in tonight with your old man?"

"Sounds good to me, dad," Stephanie replied, smiling up at him. She faced forward and then spotted two boys with a video camera, pointing in their direction. She smiled directly into the camera, giving a finger wave. "What's up with the camera boys?" She paused as she looked over at the taller boy with a helmet on his head. "And what's up with the helmet?" She then spotted the fishing net in the other boy's hand. "And the net?"

"_Carlos here_, thinks the Palm Woods is haunted and thinks this _fishing net _will actually help us catch it," the boy with the net said, swinging it to smack 'Carlos' in the chest.

"First off, it's an _Ec-to-net_," Carlos stressed, pulling the net out of his friend's hands, rolling his eyes, "and second, _Logan_, ghosts _are _real and I'm going to prove it with this video." He patted the video camera next to him.

_Interesting_, Stephanie thought, trying hard not to smile. "Well, good luck," she said brightly and Carlos gave her a warm smile. "I've always loved a good ghost movie. Mind if I check your video when you're done?" _And maybe use some of your film?_

"Sure," Carlos replied, nodding repeatedly.

"Great, well I'll leave you back to your ghost hunting," Stephanie said before turning back towards her dad. "Let's go." She looped her arm through his and gave Carlos and Logan another smile before he walked by her dad to the elevators. _They're pretty cute_.

They stepped into the elevators and Stephanie smiled at the blonde and brunette girls in there. Her dad gave a polite smile as they walked in. "Hi," Stephanie said to them. "Everyone's talking about this Palm Woods Ghost."

"Yeah, we had a pretty big scare last night," the blonde said with a small laugh. "We were out by the pool and this table moved all by itself."

"It was pretty creepy," the brunette added. "It has everyone on edge."

"So, what do you think?" Stephanie asked as her dad pressed the round button for their room. "Is this place actually haunted? I never heard about that in any reviews."

"I wouldn't know, I'm kind of new here still," the blonde said with a sigh, sliding her hands into her back jeans pockets.

"That's the thing, it just started happening recently," the girl replied, raking her fingers through her hair. "It's all pretty creepy…uh, but I don't mean to try and talk you out of staying here."

"Nah, I love scary movies and ghost stories and stuff," Stephanie replied as the elevator doors slid shut and started moving upwards. "I'm actually here as a filmmaker. I'm hoping to shoot some short films, maybe send them off to a few festivals to get an internship. What about you guys?"

"I'm an actress," the brunette replied.

"So am I, but, I'd like to try and get some singing in as well," the blonde replied. "Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Jo Taylor and this is Camille Roberts."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Stephanie replied, removing her arm from her dad's to shake their hands. "I'm Stephanie. Stephanie King and this is my dad."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Camille said, giving a small wave. "Well, Stephanie, we were just heading to my apartment to do our nails, watch some movies, hang out and try not to get freaked out by the ghost." She gave a smile. "Want to come with us?"

Stephanie's upper lip curled slightly. She hated doing her nails, the smell of nail polish gave her a head ache, but the girls seemed nice. And she could use some extra hands for some of her bigger stunts that she had planned.

"Dad?" she asked looking up at her father. "Can we push movie night back a little?"

"Go on," her dad replied with a warm smile before kissing the top of her head. The elevator doors dinged and Jo and Camille stepped out into the hall. "Just text me when you're on the way back."

"Will do," Stephanie replied with a smile before standing on her tip toes to kiss her dad on the cheek. "Bye." She gave a brief wave and joined Camille and Jo, following them to Camille's apartment.

"So, are you doing any films or anything right now, Stephanie?" Camille asked as she pulled her keys out of her pocket to unlock her apartment door.

A smile slowly came to Stephanie's face. "Funny that you mention that."

* * *

**A/N: **So the part with Stephanie is a new writing style I'm trying which will be shown more in my fics starting with my new Patie fic _Turning Into You_, and my Dalla fic _Wicked_. I alo have a Lolla fic coming up called _Love You Forever, Like You For Always_.

I didn't mean for this chapter to be this long, but with how the rest of this fic is planned, I have to keep it all together. I'm not too happy about how I had it that Mrs. Knight and Katie found out about the drinking and the abuse, but I loved writing the James and Kendall moment.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

Cheers,

-Rhuben


	33. She Must Have Done Something Wrong

**~33~**

"You want us to what?" the Jacksons asked in unison, staring up at their dad.

"You heard me," Robert said in a quiet voice, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Daddy, we-" Sydney stopped when Robert turned his cold gaze to his youngest son. "I mean, sir, we can't do that. Kendall and them, they're our friends." He paused, a confused look crossing his face as she turned to look at his brothers and sisters. "…I guess…kind of..."

"Trust me, kids, you don't need any friends in this business," Robert chuckled, shaking his head. "All they do is turn right around and stab you in the back If it means they can get ahead."

Any business in Hollywood one could argue was a hard thing to deal with. You never really knew who your friends were and if they had any ulterior motives behind their actions. While it was true that was the main thought he drilled into their heads over and over again.

"But, it's not fair," Noah said quietly, raking his fingers through his long hair. "They could get into a lot of trouble for this. All the backlash and stuff."

"I don't care," Robert simply replied.

"That's obvious," Riley muttered under her breath.

Robert sighed, moving to sit down in front of his kids. "Guys, listen," he said quietly. "This is really important to your career. You need to prove to everyone out here that you can achieve the American dream. You can prove that hard work leads to success."

"But, this isn't hard work, it's lying," Rhuben replied. She let out a sigh through her nose. "Which we've been doing for a long time."

"And that's been a lot of hard work, right?" Robert asked. Rhuben open and closed her mouth. "That's what I thought."

He was right; lying for all these years _was _hard work. It was hard to think of excuses and believable stories on the fly and have to keep up with whatever story was told, often times without a word in advance. It was draining, and they didn't want to do it anymore. Or rather, they didn't think Big Time Rush deserved it; or Gustavo, or Kelly. Stealing a song was a topic of conversation that didn't die down so quickly. With a new band arising, and with the DarkElements already having some decent exposure to their name, and with everyone knowing the two bands were working together, it just would've ended up very messy.

"This is a competition," Robert continued.

"How so?" Rhuben raised an eyebrow. "We're just here to make music and make it big in America. Like other people."

She didn't really know if she could consider Big Time Rush her friends, let alone Logan. They were still trying to build up their friendship and even she could see that it wasn't exactly the same friendship they had when they were kids. Things were just more complicated and now more awkward and tense now that he knew their secret. But, she trusted him and she trusted that he would keep it.

"Yes, that is true," Robert agreed with a nod.

"I don't like this," Patrick shook his head, his upper lip curling. "It's like we're cheating."

"Sir, we could just let them have it, try somewhere else," Riley suggested. "Ronan wouldn't want us to-"

"Ronan doesn't matter," Robert interrupted her. "Besides, you all know that Ronan will be staying here once we head back to Australia." He looked at all of his kids and his expression softened. "Look, you guys know that I'm incredibly proud of you. And you know that I haven't made the greatest decisions lately in regards to my drinking and how I've been acting."

He reached out and mussed Sydney's hair and the little boy gave a brief smile. "I want to apologize to you all with my drinking lately. It's not fair to any of you for me to not act professionally like the rest of you when I attend meetings, such as the important meeting the other day at Gustavo's place and when I was at Ronan's. Things have just been a little stressful over here lately."

Riley snorted. _If you want to preach to us about being professional, then why do you want us to frame them? _She ran her hands over her face. It just didn't seem like it was worth it anymore. It was too much pressure and to have to burn someone who honestly wanted to make their dreams come true when they didn't even want to know if they wanted to continue making music; not under those conditions. It was just too much pressure.

"I'm not doing it," Riley said with a shake of her head. Robert turned to look at her and she shook her head faster and faster. "We're not doing it. This isn't right."

"I think I have the right to make my kids' dreams come true," Robert replied, merely turning his grey eyes towards her.

"Not like this," Patrick commented. "I mean, getting inspiration from a song and sampling songs are completely different. You want us to give a song to BTR and then act like they stole it." He chewed on his bottom lip. "If that's how you want us to do things now…I don't want to do this anymore."

"Me either," Sydney quietly agreed. He scratched the back of his neck, bowing his head when Robert turned to look at him.

"I mean…you heard what's been going on with Will. and he supposedly ripping off songs," Rhuben added and Noah silently nodded his head. "It's really not going to help in the long run and it's not like we've even recorded it already or anything so-"

"-it's more like we just gave them the song," Riley added with a nod. She looked over at her siblings before glancing back at her dad. "Which I don't have a problem with I mean, the song fits their music style more."

Which was true. The song in question, _This is Our Someday_, was something that they had written a while ago when they were kids. It was a pretty cheesy song and really poppy, which was a complete contrast to their pop-rock genre they were catering to. As well, it was a contrast to their public image. There was a reason their band's signature color was black.

"We can't do it, it's—it's um not fair—not fair—um, they work hard," Sydney said in a quiet voice, playing with the bottom of his shirt. "They work hard—like—like us. Not fair."

Robert closed his eyes, raking his fingers through his hair. He held his breath for a moment before letting it all out in a rush of air. He didn't say anything. He clasped his hands together and bounced his knees as he looked back and forth at all of his kids. They silently stared back at him.

"Whatever," Robert said with a shake of his head. "Whatever. If you don't want to make it here, that's fine. We can just quit; pack up and go home. I'm sure your fans back home would be happy about that." He slapped his hands down by his sides. "I didn't think I was raising a bunch of quitters. Maybe this is too much for you."

_Maybe it is_, Noah thought, biting on his thumbnail. Patrick gently bumped his wrist and he dropped his arm.

The music making process, being in California, none of it was fun anymore. He loved making music, but even he could see that he was dreading getting up every day to work, to sing, to work out, to dance. He was 14 and he was starting to become interested in other things; like having a normal life and having a normal family. He was tired of being scared, but he was too scared to do anything about it. He wasn't the oldest so he didn't think he really understood the situation they were in, not that he ever took the time to try and figure it out. He trusted his sisters and he trusted that they knew what they were doing.

Plus, Robert wasn't bad all the time. Like just now, he had apologized for drinking, although he wasn't sure exactly what it was that he could be stressed out about. They hadn't really done anything apart from signing on to help Big Time Rush, that they would get attention in America. Or maybe that was enough. Gustavo trying to make a new hit boy band covered a great expanse of media attention and with them added onto it…he hadn't got so many scuttlebutts from his fan back home in a short amount of time before.

That was it. He was doing everything for his fans, and trying to make fans in America. It made him feel good to get messages about how their songs were a hit, how their fans enjoyed them, and most importantly, how their songs helped them through rough times. If only they knew.

"Let's go find the guys," Riley muttered.

Robert smiled.

* * *

"Hey guys," Sydney said with a smile as they made their way into the Palm Woods pool deck. He looked over at Kendall and James who looked to be in considerable amount of pain, their faces bright red. "What's going on?"

"We're trying to see who can stand having a mouthful of cinnamon in their mouths the longest," Katie explained, glancing up from the stop watch that was in her hand. "I thought it was a stupid idea, but I get five bucks for keeping time."

"Looks like fun," Rhuben slowly replied although she had a disgusted look on her face.

"Don't you remember?" Logan nudged her with an elbow. "We did this once."

"Which is why I have this look on my face." Riley smirked at him. "It's gross, and it burned my tongue so bad I couldn't taste anything for a week."

"Ha ha," Rhuben chuckled. "I won that."

"That's because you cheated," Logan insisted. "You weren't allowed to hold the cinnamon under your tongue."

"I like to call it creative strategy, Logie-Bear," Rhuben grinned mussing Logan's hair.

"Anyway, could you guys spit that out?" Riley demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "We've got some music stuff to talk to you about."

"This sounds important," Carlos piped up for the first time, lowering the video camera that was in his hands. He then lifted his camera up to his eye. "Wave to the camera. We're making videos for our upcoming website." His smile wilted slightly when the Jacksons gave him half hearted smiles.

"They're not going to stop anytime soon." Katie sighed. "How are going to get them to stop?"

"Easy," Carlos smiled. He turned to face James. "Hey James, I flushed all your Cuda products down the toilet this morning." He shrugged again, and gave James a false apologetic look. "Sorry man, it was taking up too much space in the medicine cabinet."

James coughed, sending a brown cloud to float in the air. Kendall followed suit shortly after. The two of them coughed and spluttered, gasping for air, hands on their knees. Weakly, Kendall straightened and punched the air with his fists.

"I WIN!" Kendall shouted before lapsing into another fit of coughing.

"That doesn't count," James insisted, glaring at Carlos. "You flushed my Cuda products down the toilet?" His eyes traveled over towards Riley and Rhuben. "How am I going to look handsome now?" He let out a heavy sigh, putting his hands to his hips. "In between this and Gustavo's constant snoring, there's no way I'm going to catch up on my beauty regiment."

"Wait, what do you mean 'Gustavo's snoring'?" Patrick asked with a frown, using air quotes.

"Gustavo's living with us," Logan said, suddenly looking tired, rubbing at his temples. "He said his mansion flooded and he has to stay with us." Riley opened her mouth and he quickly continued. "He's not allowed to stay in any hotels or whatever since LA is a 'dark place'."

He then winced. He knew that LA could be a pretty bad place. He still couldn't believe that this was happening to his friends. Of anything, he just wished he could tell Kendall. Kendall would know and understand everything that was going on with them, maybe help him convince his friends that they needed to get help. But, he had also promised Kendall not to tell anyone. With Gustavo, and the Palm Woods ghost, and recording and everything…he thought his head was going to explode. He just wanted to be friends with everyone and to make music. But the side of him that wanted to be a doctor knew of the lasting repercussions on not only him if he didn't do or say anything and something went wrong, but for the Jacksons themselves.

"I was wondering where he was going to stay," Rhuben said, scratching the back of her head. "I'm surprised he didn't stay with Ronan."

"Oh, you knew about it, then?" Kendall asked before he started to wipe his tongue on his t-shirt.

"Kind of," Patrick replied, his upper lip curling slightly. "We were there when it happened." He shrugged. "Mishap in the bathroom. Word of advice; don't shove a towel into a broken pipe."

"Don't even think about it," Kendall said, elbowing Carlos in the side, who had an impish smile on his face. "We'd get a third strike from Bitters for sure." He then turned back to the Jacksons. "Anyway, this music thing, what's up?"

"Here, we have a song for you," Riley said handing him the folder that was in her hand. "It's called _This is Our Someday_. We wrote it, but we don't want it." She practically shoved it into his chest when no one reached out to take it.

"Really?" Logan asked, exchanging looks with James. He peered at his friends, but they didn't give anything away with their faces. "What's the catch?" Rhuben narrowed her eyes slightly. "I mean…I've heard of people passing up on songs but—"

"There is no catch," Rhuben reassured him, waving her hand in the air. "It's a good song. We just don't want to use it. We think it fits your guys' music genre better than ours. That's all."

"Yeah," Noah agreed with a nod.

"That's all?" Kendall repeated.

"That's all," the Jacksons said in unison.

"Cool," Kendall replied. "So, you guys want to hang out in the crib? Play dome hockey, eat some snacks-" a sheepish grin crossed his face. "Help us get rid of Gustavo?"

Riley twisted her mouth to the side, crossing her arms over her chest before glancing at her watch. "Why not? We've got some more time before we have studio work ourselves." She looked over at Patrick, Noah, and Sydney. "You coming up?"

"Nah, we'll stay here with Katie," Patrick replied. Riley gave a nod before she and Rhuben followed the four boys into the Palm Woods. He then turned towards the teenaged girl. "What's bothering you?"

Katie's eyebrows knitted together slightly. "What do you mean?" she asked, tossing the stop watch in her hand, over her shoulder before making her way over to her abandoned pool chair, sitting down, crossing her legs underneath her.

"You're distracted, you're a million miles away, you're staring off into space, you're not present up there," Sydney listed off, counting off on his fingers. He motioned between himself, Patrick, and Noah. "We're good at noticing when something's wrong. So, what's wrong?" He tilted his head to the side as Patrick and Noah sat down on the concrete ground around her. He continued to stand. "You look sad."

Katie snorted. "You'd be sad too if you were told lies about your dad for all of your life," she muttered with a bitter laugh. Sydney frowned, sitting down as well. Katie shook her head. "Forget it. It's stupid. You don't want to hear about it."

"Doubt it," Noah muttered, using his shoulder to brush his hair out of his face. "Patrick's stupid all the time and we listen to him." Patrick's nose wrinkled and he stuck his tongue out at Noah, who stuck his tongue out at him in return. He then gave Katie a peaceful smile. "So, what's going on?"

Katie still looked like she wasn't going to say anything but then let out a sigh, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "Well, it all started when mom found out about Kendall's stupid party," she started, "which, by the way, I wasn't invited to."

"You didn't miss much," Sydney said, playing with a loose thread at the bottom of his shirt. "It was kinda boring. I read comics."

"Kendall got drunk," Katie replied.

"Again, you didn't miss much," Sydney repeated, looking up at her. "If you've gone to enough industry parties as we have, being around someone drunk is, sadly, the norm." Patrick and Noah nodded. "What else happened?"

"Ugh, first I'm stuck in this apartment all day with nothing to do, then he has a party without me, he gets drunk like the idiot it he is and—" Katie trailed off for a moment, pressing her lips together, "and nothing. I'm just frustrated I guess. I mean, I thought Los Angeles was supposed to be fun and full of opportunities. I mean, I was only in one commercial for God's sakes."

"Whoever thinks being in Los Angeles is fun has clearly been misinformed," Patrick said dryly and Katie shot him an annoyed look. "You're not going to cry are you?"

"_No_," Katie snapped. "Don't you have studio work or dance rehearsals or something to go to?" She raked her fingers through her hair and watched as the three boys exchanged glances. "Sorry. I'm just stressed out." She let out a sigh. "So is LA really that hard?"

"You don't know the half of it," Noah said with a brief shake of his head.

"We've been working nonstop for years and we're still trying to make it here in America," Sydney added. "It just takes a lot of time and effort." He peered over at Katie. "But, commercials aren't going to just fall into your lap, you have to go out and audition for stuff. You know, networking."

"As long as Kendall and them are working, and Gustavo's paying for their apartment, it's not like they could get kicked out," Patrick muttered.

"If Bitters found out about the party he could have," Katie commented. She let out a sigh. "So, how's your music coming? You done or-what?" Katie asked, noticing the three boys exchange another glance with each other.

"Nothing," Patrick replied with a shake of his head. "Just some complications. It's going…kinda slipping out of our hands so to speak."

"You don't sound too happy about it," Katie pointed out.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't either if your dad forced you to do stuff you didn't want to do," Noah said rolling his eyes. "We've been working for so long ,we just want a break from time to time, you know?" Katie nodded. "I think we'd be better off if he didn't have such a short leash on us."

"Is he really that bad?" Katie asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "I mean, he couldn't possibly be as overprotective as my mom. I mean, when she thought Buddha Bob was an axe murderer, she would barely let me set foot out of the apartment."

At this point, it all made sense as to _why _her mom was so overprotective, but it was still annoying from time to time. Her dad had been gone for years, they'd been able to move on. Surely she could've given them some more space.

"Let me put it this way," Sydney said after a moment of silence. "I think we could do better by ourselves." He stretched out his legs, putting his weight on his hands. "But, your mom's cool. She's really nice and pretty."

"Yeah, the kind of mom we always wanted," Patrick agreed and Noah nodded as well.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Jo," Katie greeted with a wave as three girls walked over to them. "Hey, Camille." She got to her feet. "Who's this?"

"This is Stephanie King," Jo replied, stepping to the side to introduce the girl behind her. "She just moved into the Palm Woods a little while ago." Jo smiled as the three boys got to their feet. "Stephanie, this is Katie Knight, Kendall's sister." She then turned towards the three boys. "And this is—"

"I know who they are," Stephanie interrupted, with a smile. "I'm a big fan of your music. Hi, I'm Stephanie."

"Sup?" Patrick asked, offering his hand, slapping his palm into hers before shaking it. "I'm Patrick and this is Sydney."

"Hi," Sydney said quietly, moving to press himself into Patrick's side. He then pointed his small finger over at Noah. "That's Noah."

Noah's lips twitched into a little bit of a smile, reaching out his hand to shake hers—after wiping his palm on the side of his shirt. "Nice to meet you," Noah greeted Stephanie with a half smile.

"You, too," Stephanie replied, firmly shaking his hand. "Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting you guys." She clasped her hands behind her back. "I've been a fan of yours for years. I have your CDs. Imports, you know."

"Sweet," Patrick said with a nod. "So what brings you to the Palm Woods?"

"Film," Stephanie replied. "I want to be a director when I get older, meet Steven Spielberg, maybe intern for him or something." She crossed her arms over her chest, grinning. "In fact, I'm working on a new horror film right now and I could use a little help." She put her arms around Jo and Camille's shoulders. "These two are helping me out, but I could use a little bit more help."

"What kind of help?" Katie asked, arching an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Well, first, I need to find my cameras, the Palm Woods Ghost has been moving them," Stephanie replied, exchanging a smile with Jo and Stephanie. "At least, that's why _I _think they've disappeared."

"Ghost?" Sydney asked quietly, his eyes widening. Patrick gave a brief smile before lowering himself to the ground, allowing his baby brother to crawl onto his back.

"The Palm Woods is 'haunted'," Katie explained, using air quotes, rolling her eyes. "Everybody's freaking out. It's actually kind of funny." She peered over at Jo and Camille when then started laughing with Stephanie. "What?"

"You're right, it _is _funny," Stephanie replied with a grin. "Probably going to be one of the best received movies I've ever made."

"Wait…_you're _the Palm Woods ghost?" Katie asked, her eyebrows shooting up, Stephanie gave a mock bow. "I'll help you out; on one condition." Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side. "I get to be your manager; you know, shop this video around, see if I can get any positive feedback and tips about the hottest film festivals."

Stephanie pursed her lips.

"Once in a lifetime offer, take it or leave it," Katie replied, putting her hands in the air. She then tilted her head to the side. "And I could see if I could get these guys to do a song for the film."

"We will?" Patrick and Noah asked in unison.

"Well, you _did_ say you thought you'd be better off running your music business by yourselves," Katie said, giving the two boys a smile. "You can start off with this, and not only would it bring more publicity to Steph, but it's a great opportunity for you to take creative liberty into your own hands."

Patrick rolled his head to look over at Noah. Noah arched an eyebrow in reply, angling his head back at her. Noah looked over at Sydney who smiled. Identical smiles crossed Patrick and Noah's faces before they turned back towards the girls.

"We'd have to ask Ri-Ri," Sydney said as Patrick shifted his weight on his back.

"But, we're in," the twin boys said in unison.

"So, we have a deal?" Katie asked, offering her hands towards Stephanie. Stephanie looked over at the three boys who smiled at her.

"Yyep," Stephanie replied with a grin, taking Katie's hand, shaking it. She then looked over at the three boys and winked.

Noah briefly smiled.

* * *

"This is the best they've ever sounded," Kelly said with a grin, bobbing her head to the beat of the song. "Griffin will love this one for sure." Gustavo grunted in reply, his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to Big Time Rush sing.

He glanced at his watch. "So, when can we get out of here?" he asked, starting to shift his chair back and forth. "I need a break or…something."

Kelly rolled her eyes, shaking her head. _He's been at the Palm Woods for too long_, she thought with a sigh.

She knew Gustavo to be the kind of guy that only cared about music and wanting to get things done as perfectly as possible. All he did was spend his time writing some new songs and now that he was over at the Palm Woods all he did was want to play around.

Not that she could really blame him; even she wanted time to hang out and not have to worry about work, but this was important. Their demos were picked, they were making a full album and starting to prepare for a tour. It was crunch time.

But, she couldn't deny that he had done a good job producing the music to this track. And the song was great. She couldn't deny that the Jacksons knew what they were doing and the song really did fit their genre of music. The lyrics maybe just needed to be tweaked a little bit, or completely redone, but that was all up to Griffin and whether or not he would accept the song.

Everything was riding on all the hard work they put in now.

"Great job, boys." Kelly smiled clapping her hands together as Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan finished the song. They had their pens poised above the stands holding their lyrics sheets, waiting for notes. "That was amazing."

"Thanks, Kelly," the boys smiled and then immediately turned to face Gustavo.

She rolled her eyes a second time. "Of course, I mean, why is my opinion important?" she asked, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"It was alright," Gustavo said giving them a thumbs up and then a thumbs down. The boys started groaning and shouting at him as they left the recording booth.

"Gustavo, the song was _great,_" Kelly said, slapping him on the shoulder. Gustavo grunted again. "I thnk you just don't like it because the song came from Robert's band. That's it isn't it?" Gustavo didn't reply. "But, that's why we hired them. Patrick and Noah are to help them with song lyrics. However, with your hiring the writing staff, that was kind of pointless."

"Oh, so it's pointless to have the dogs have a hit album?" Gustavo asked.

"Just let them write one song, or at least try to," Kelly protested, crossing her arms over her chest. "See how easy or hard it is to come up with a song of their own." She raked her fingers through her hair. "It'll also help with the fans. Fans love knowing that bands write and perform their own—"

A loud "AHA" made them all jump and fall silent. Kelly and Gustavo turned around as Robert stormed into the room, with his kids following behind them. Gustavo looked back and forth between Robert and his kids before getting to his feet.

"'Aha' what?" Gustavo demanded with a roll of his eyes. "And what are you doing here, _Bobbie_?"

"You stole our song," Robert said jabbing a finger into Gustavo's chest. Gustavo slapped the man's hand away. Gustavo jumped when he heard a thudding sound and turned around to see Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan pressed against the plexiglass of the recording studios, staring at them.

"What are you talking about, Jackson?" Gustavo asked, his eyebrows narrowing behind his sunglasses. "Robert, I understand you're getting older and might be forgetful of a few things, but the dogs didn't steal your song."

He merely glanced over at the boys as they hurried out of the recording booth. "Yeah, Riley said you guys didn't want to use it," Kendall said a confused look crossing his face.

"I never said that, daddy," Riley said turning to look at Robert. "I said they could look at the lyrics. I didn't realize they kept it."

"Why would you guys steal our song?" Rhuben demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "We worked hard on it."

"Bella, we didn't steal anything, you know that," Logan pleaded with her. "You know me, I wouldn't do something like that."

"Why are people so mean?" Sydney asked, his bottom lip trembling.

"You can be sure we're going to tell Griffin about this," Robert said patting Sydney on the back. Gustavo's eyes narrowed even further as he looked at the small boy. He seemed to wince at each pat as it got harder and harder. Gustavo watched as Noah moved over to his baby brother and gave him a side hug, pulling him away from Robert. "Let's go kids."

Silently, the Jacksons followed Robert out the door. Big Time Rush exchanged shocked glances.

"Gustavo…_do something_," James cried.

But, Gustavo stayed silent, glaring at the spot that Robert and his kids had just stood. "Don't worry," Gustavo replied, "I will."

_No one_ messed with his dogs and got away with it.

_You may be deceived if you trust too much._

* * *

**A/N: **Can't believe I'm almost done with this fic already. I feel like I just started it. But, I'm glad you all are enjoying it. Sorry for the wait for an update.

Cheers,

-Rhuben


	34. Tonight

**~34~**

"All I'm saying is that you need to do something about this," Gustavo said through clenched teeth. He was trying hard not to snap at his boss, which was evident with how tight his arms were crossed over his chest, and how he was talking through his teeth.

Griffin merely raised his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair. "Gustavo, you're acting like I haven't been doing anything about this," he said in a pitying tone, shaking his head back and forth. Gustavo's jaw dropped slightly and Griffin leaned forward in his seat, motioning for everyone in the room to sit down.

Gustavo looked over at Kelly, and then at Ronan and Kacy before they all sat down in the chairs that they were standing front of having all stormed into Griffin's office talking over each other, trying to be heard. They hadn't realized that some of Griffin's assistants had brought in chairs for them to sit down and they slowly did.

"I just can't seem to wrap my mind around this," Kacy was the first to speak to fill the silence. "I mean, they seemed to really be getting along, and now they suddenly frame them for stealing a song?" She looked over at Ronan who had his lips pressed together. She gently hit him on the arm and when he turned to look at him, she raised her eyebrows as if silently commanding him to speak. When he still didn't say anything, she let out a huff of annoyance. "It's obvious that this wasn't something they willingly did."

"Is it, though?" Ronan then asked and everyone turned to look at him. "Kelly and Gustavo can vouch for me on this one, when they first came here…you had to have a pretty tight leash on them unless you wanted all hell to break loose."

Gustavo blinked in surprise. Ever since Ronan started working with the Jacksons all heard out of his mouth was good things about them. But, he also saw how draining it was for his fellow producer to have to keep looking after the five of them, especially since it seemed like Robert was always pushing them on him. Better someone else than him, he always thought. But low and behold they were always around and always bugging him and always one upping his latest project. And now here they were, trying to sabotage him. He always had a bad feeling about them, but over time had grown to…_acknowledge_ them.

As soon as Robert had left his studio, and to stop himself from throwing things around his office, he had marched back to the Palm Woods—as he was still living there—with the dogs yapping at his ear the whole way, to explain to Kacy what was going on. She was shocked to say the least and mad and insisted to go over to Griffin's office at that moment to sort things out.

"Well, that _Is _true," Kelly said after a moment of silence. "Robert seems to have gotten a handle on them now, but back then—"

"They were annoying," Gustavo finished for her. His eyebrows twitched. "Much like they are now, but still."

"I just don't see why they would take all this time to build up their careers and confidence and make them believe that they could do this just to turn around and stab them in the back," Kacy said with a shake of her head. "Not unless—"

"They didn't have a choice," Kelly finished with a nod. "Let's be honest here, Robert isn't the most laid back person—"

"He's a pestering, crazy, money-hungry bum," Gustavo interrupted. "I know that guy, he'd do anything he could to get ahead, even bring in his kids if he had to." He then leaned forward in his chair. "So what are you going to do about it, Griffin?"

"Gustavo, you seem to be forgetting that the head of this company is Fujisaki," Griffin said as he adjusted his tie. "He maybe be old...and almost dead, but he's got a plethora of tricks up his sleeves."

"Meaning?" Gustavo asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Robert is a successful business man as you know," Griffin said, sounding impatient. "He'll do anything he could to make sure nothing ruins his career." He crossed one leg over the other. "Now, I, like you thought it was pretty odd that he would suddenly have his kids give you a song, whether or not it's in their genre of music."

Griffin then got out of his seat and stated pacing the room. "Now, I've been in contact with Robert before he chose to go to Blazing Phoenix Records. I can't say that I haven't felt that I've missed an opportunity with them, but I see where Big Time Rush is going and I have good faith in them."

"If you had good faith in them then why'd it take you so long to choose their demos?" Gustavo couldn't help but ask. Kelly elbowed him in the side.

"A viable question," Griffin said with a brief nod of his head in Gustavo's direction. "I'm sure you're aware that nothing makes people work harder than the idea of doubt." He clasped his hands behind his back.

"There wasn't any way I was going to choose any other band, my daughter, Mercedes, absolutely loves the boys. I just had to be sure they wanted it bad enough. You see, they've shown something. They were patient and waited for things to come to them. Yes, one could argue that it's better to make things happen on your own, but you saw how that worked out with Robert. He wants to make sure his kids are in the number one spot and if that means having to take other people out, then so be it."

"But, that doesn't make it rig—"

"I never said it was, Mrs. Knight," Griffin interrupted her. "But, we have ways to of figuring this out. Like I said, Robert has ways of being sure he can get ahead. Why not frame anyone? His only downfall, however, is that not only does he have a…'mark' as I call it on his files, but before either of you have shown up his kids made it perfectly clear that they didn't want to do what they did."

"Wait," Ronan said, sitting up in her seat, "they came _here_?"

"Left just before you arrived," Griffin agreed with a nod. "They looked upset, or rather, as upset as they'd allow themselves to be."

Gustavo felt his eyes narrow as he watched Griffin. It just didn't make any sense to him but at the same time it did. None of them had told Griffin their worries about Robert being abusive towards his kids. Anyone could see that he was pretty intense with his work maybe even controlling, and some could just see it as discipline to keep them in line as it was hard work and often times people in this business tried to get more work than play in to really get good songs out.

He just didn't think the Jacksons would ever come clean about what it was that they did. He wasn't that fond of the kids, but he saw their friendship with the four dogs growing so it was kind of hard to believe they would deliberately do something that bad. It wasn't in their character, part of their public image maybe, but not in their character.

"What do you mean Robert has a 'mark' on their songs?" Kelly asked, using finger quotes around the word.

"Well, it's a way to make sure if someone samples any of their songs or just takes them," Griffin replied, his eyebrows shooting up. "He showed it to me when he was first shopping around a few of their song they released back in Australia. Play a song backwards, and it has a message on it."

"That's smart," Kacy commented.

"And in this case it was his downfall," Ronan said and Griffin nodded in agreement. "I knew something was going to happen, but I didn't know it was going to be this; in case you were wondering why I'm not so surprised about this."

"Yeah, I was going to say…" Gustavo said and then trailed off, shaking his head. "So, you've already got this figured out."

"Gustavo, I may be a wacky and out there CEO of this place, but I know how to run my business," Griffin said, moving to sit back down behind his desk. "I can assure you, that I'm not going to let him ruin this business and your hard work."

Gustavo was at a loss for words. He wasn't a big fan of Griffin, but it was surprising to know that Griffin had thought highly of him and his dogs. Hell, he had even surprised himself with realizing that they had been growing on him, and that he would do anything to defend them. But, at the same time, he could see that they were growing with their music, and despite them always running around and wreaking havoc like the dogs they were, there was no denying that they were helping him loosen up and learn that not everything had to be so serious.

"Now, if we're all done with this," Griffin said with a smile. "I've heard through the grapevine that there will be a dance at the Palm Woods school. I want the boys to perform."

"What's the catch?" Kelly asked.

"You have to have it here," Griffin replied, spreading out his arms, motioning towards the building. "We want to get Big Time Rush's name out. Once people realize that they're part of the Palm Woods school, it'll bring more fame there, which that Bitters guy has been asking me to somehow bring to him since the boys got here."

"It _would _get them stage practice," Kelly said, twisting her mouth to the side. "And they need to learn some new dance moves pretty quickly. It won't be easy, I mean, soon they'll be learning three new dances a week."

"Maybe more" Ronan said. He rubbed his temples. "I don't know, this might not be a good idea. Plus, they might not be up for a party." He looked over at Kacy. "Especially what happened at the last one."

"Nothing will happen because you _four _will be chaperones," Griffin replied with a pleasant smile.

"Excuse me?" Kacy asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

Gustavo did a double take. There was _no way_ he was going to chaperoning a bunch of kids at a dance. That wasn't in his job description, nor was it part of the deal they had just made. _Then again, I coul make sure nothing gets broken_, Gustavo thought, bobbing his head back and forth. _And I could make sure those dogs actually do a good job and I could get some audience feedback. _

"Well, I guess I could call Mr. X," he said after a moment of silence.

"What about Rhuben?" Kelly asked. "We _did _hire her for choreography." Ronan nodded in agreement.

"Kendall and them…once they get hurt by somebody, it takes them a little while to get over it," Kacy said slowly. Gustavo thought he heard Ronan snort as he shifted in his seat. "They might not want to have anything to do with them right now, not until they figure things out."

"Isn't Kendall the one that always tries to make sure they're friends?" Kelly asked, her eyebrows knitting together. "Something tells me he's not just going to drop them. But, maybe they could put their differences aside just for one night."

"Gustavo and Robert can barely put their problems aside for one night, I doubt this will be the case," Ronan said, jerking his thumb in Gustavo's direction. Gustavo rolled his eyes.

"I'll work all this out with Robert, Gustavo, just as long as you have the boys hold their dance here and they perform at it," Griffin said, leaning back in his chair. "As you said, they need to start getting their stage performances down, and I'd like to see how they do in front of a group of their peers. Is everyone ok with that?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Gustavo said with a nod of his head. He then got to his feet and followed Kacy, Ronan, and Kelly out of the room. "Well, that went well."

"I think it did, actually," Kelly said with a sigh. "Griffin did guarantee that he'd get to the bottom of this and we have a performance scheduled for Big Time Rush." She then turned to Ronan. "You had no idea that Robert was doing this?"

"Not this specifically, 'no'," Ronan replied with a shake of his head, "Nor did I know that he puts messages on their songs. Once it's out of my hands, it's out of my hands; he must go in with someone else and add it. I can see how it'd be helpful, but I really don't think he thought this through." He then turned towards Kacy. "I tried to tell you the other day, but the conversation did turn towards Kendall and…the incident." He then scratched his forehead. "In this case, I think it'd be a good idea if we all chaperoned; make sure nothing happens."

"Agreed," Kelly replied with a nod.

"No, I mean, Robert will find out sooner or later that his kids turned right around and told the truth about the song," Ronan said with a shake of his head. "And when he does, he'll be mad. They might not want to go, but if we could get them at the dance, and keep them there, Robert might not do anything and we can keep them safe for another day. And, if he does come to the school, it might give us some proof to call the police."

"Well, then, maybe we should give them a place to stay that night as well," Kelly suggested. "Obviously not Ronan because they always go there—"

"They can't stay with us at the Palm Woods either," Gustavo said, looking over at Kacy who suddenly looked incredibly annoyed. "There's not much space after my being there."

"Gustavo, I told you—"

"What about you, Kelly?" Ronan asked the African American woman. "Can they stay with you?" He then snapped his fingers. "Forget I asked that, I forgot your apartment is only big enough for one person." He slid his hands into his jeans pockets. "I'll think of something, I guess, but I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Kelly asked, watching him start to make his way down the hall.

"I've got an important appointment I have to make," Ronan said, turning so he was walking backwards. "If I don't make it now…" He merely shrugged before continuing his way. Kacy gave a brief farewell before following him.

"I knew these dogs would be trouble," Gustavo commented with a shake of his head.

Kelly let out an odd laugh. "The boys are growing on you, aren't they?" she asked him and Gustavo crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why you want to be sure this all goes well?" She paused and then added, "that's why you don't want to leave the Palm Woods, right? Because you have fun with them?"

Gustavo didn't answer.

* * *

"Hey, Logan," Riley greeted her friend, standing by one of the many empty chairs at the table he was working at. He had his books around him as he was studying and working on homework. He merely glanced at Riley as she sat down across from him, setting down a cup of pink smoothie.

"Hi," he muttered before resuming his writing in his notebook. Logan glanced at the smoothie, then at Riley and started packing up his stuff. She blinked, pressing her lips together, letting out a heavy sigh through her nose.

"Logie." Riley tried to stop him by grabbing onto his wrist as he passed her. He twisted his mouth to the side before looking her in the eye. His face was blank of any emotion. "I'm sorry, ok?"

Logan let out an odd bark of laughter before he pulled his hand from her grip. "It's kind of late for 'sorry' don't you think?" Logan asked. Riley was silent for a moment. "You could've warned us, or at least me. Tell me what was going on."

"Logan, I _am _sorry. Really," Riley said, getting to her feet. She forced Logan to turn around and look at her. "You may not believe this…but I didn't have a choice. I had to do it."

"You _had _to?" Logan scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He shifted his weight from foot to foot."What, did someone stick a gun in your face and tell you that you had to stab us in the back?"

"No," Riley replied quietly. "Something close to that." Logan seemed to have flinched for a moment, his expression softening. Riley ran her tongue over her lips, but didn't say anything. "I didn't have a choice." She watched as Logan's face seemed to have drained of color. "Really."

He looked torn. Running his hand over the back of his head, his hair sticking up. "You could have ruined our career," he said quietly, practically cringing as soon as the words came out of his mouth. "Or rather…I guess if you didn't…something would've…happened to you." He made a noise in the back of his throat, gripping his hair. "Why did you do it?"

Riley opened and closed her mouth. It was a loaded question. He knew why, but he wanted to know the threat behind it. She had stood up to him and said that she wasn't going to do it, she wasn't the type frame someone for something she had done. She was proud of herself for being the type of person that made her own decision, but all the while her dad was treating her like a puppet. If he commanded her to jump, she'd ask 'how high' all because she was a coward. He dad wasn't bad all the time, but it was just one small thing that could tick him off.

"I can't tell you," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"That's what I thought," Logan shook his head slightly before turning around and storming off. Riley stared after him for a moment before following him again.

"Logan!" Riley grabbed onto his arm, but Logan pulled his arm out of her grasp and continued walking. "Logan."

"I can't keep doing this, Riley," Logan said quietly as he stopped inside the Palm Woods lobby. Riley slid her hands into her pockets as she faced him. "I can't keep hiding this secret for you. It's too much, it's…I have so much I have to deal with."

"Logan, you're my best friend—"

"My best friend wouldn't do this to me," Logan said, shaking his head back and forth. "Kendall, Carlos, and James wouldn't do this to me." Riley bowed her head for a moment.

She got it. Their friendship wasn't the same, not like when they were kids. And even then she could tell that their friendship wasn't entirely normal as well. She was guarded even as a kid, but not as guarded as she was now. Even now, when they were building their friendship back up again, it was still different. She didn't think it would ever be the same, especially not after this. Hell, she probably would've even forgive anyone else if they did it to her.

"I get what you're saying," she said with a nod.

"Do you?" Logan asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "Because a friend really wouldn't put this much pressure on me. Your Kendall."

Riley's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?" Logan open and closed his mouth, his eyes widening slightly before he shook his head. "Logan-"

"Just forget I said anything," Logan said, shaking his head faster. "He's…he's just worried. Thinks he's not cut out for this, thinks everything is riding on him." He shrugged a shoulder, pressing his lips together for a moment. "Surely, you know how that feels."

Riley twisted her mouth to the side. She did know. Everything with her family was riding on her, or rather she thought of it that way. She was the oldest; she needed to protect her brothers and sister. It was too much pressure at times and because of that pressure to keep her dad happy to keep everyone safe, she would go and do something as stupid as this; turn her back on her friends…or co-workers or whatever. She didn't think she could call them friends now.

"Yeah," she replied shortly. "I know." She then walked past him, making her way out of the Palm Woods, giving Camille a brief smile as she passed her. She then turned her head and watched as Camille walked over to Logan, giving him a bright smile and a wave in greeting

"Hey Camille," Logan replied, sounding more cheerful than he just was.

"Hey," Camille said. Riley watched from afar, scratching the back of her neck. "I thought you were studying."

"Crowded outside," Logan replied shortly.

_Ouch_, Riley thought, bowing her head for a moment. _Not like you don't deserve it, Riles_. Camille briefly glanced in Riley's direction.

"Riles looks upset about something," Camille said with a frown, tilting her head in Riley direction. Logan barely batted an eyelash. "Do you know why? Maybe I should go and-"

"No," Logan said, interrupting her. "No, that's, ok." He then gave her a smile. "So…do you want to…study with me?" He rocked back and forth on his heels. "We've got that math test coming up."

"With you?" Camille repeated raising her eyebrows. She looked over at Riley again.

"Yeah, with me," Logan gave her a small smile. "We haven't really hung out in a while cause we're so busy and everything." He reached out and briefly touched her arm. "How're your auditions going by the way?"

"Great," Camille replied slowly. "Are you sure there's nothing going on?"

"Am I that easy to read?" Logan asked.

_Yes_, Riley thought.

"Like a script," Camille replied, giving him a gentle smile. "Now, what's going on?"

Riley turned and left the Palm Woods. She didn't want to hear what Logan was going to say to her. It was already bad enough that she had hurt her friend, but to do it to another? She just couldn't handle it. No that it would've been a big surprise, it was hard for her to make friends and even harder to keep them. They all would leave sooner or later. Whether or not she pushed them away. It was just easier to do it herself; to lessen the blow, the confusion, and the hurt.

_Well, I got my wish_, she thought bitterly, kicking at a rock. She watched as it bounced across the sidewalk and strike a shoe. She looked up as Kendall walked in, hockey stick in one hand, hockey bag thrown over his shoulder. "Hey.

Kendall stopped when he saw Riley. "I don't want to talk to you," he said, trying to move past her.

"Well, I want to talk to you," Riley said, grabbing his hockey stick out of his hands. She held it out and stopped him from walking. "I wanted to explain."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to listen," Kendall said, trying to move past her again, but she pressed his hockey stick against his chest, making sure he didn't leave.

"I don't care what you do or don't want, Kendall," Riley said as she lowered the hockey stick, taking it ine one hand. She then used the other to grab his arm, pulling him back out of the Palm Woods. "But you're going to have to listen to me whether you want to or not."

"What?" Kendall asked, trying to pull his arm from her grip. He then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Let's not talk here," Riley said glancing around, her eyes landing on Logan for a brief moment. She then looked back at him. "You want some ice cream?" Kendall raised an eyebrow, a suspicious look in his eyes. "My treat."

"…Fine," Kendall sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

He quietly followed her out of the Palm Woods, and to Palm Woods Park. True to her word, she paid for the ice cream, no matter what he wanted. The two of them got a chocolate ice cream cone and continued on a silent walk throughout the park as they ate.

Riley sat down beneath a tree and kicked off her socks and shoes, leaning back. Kendall stood awkwardly above her for a few minutes before sitting down beside her.

"Why'd you bring me out here?" Kendall asked, bringing his knees up to his chest.

"Well, I thought you would love to enjoy the day free from any bright ideas you and your friends would have, which would probably get you in trouble with Gustavo and Bitters, and spend the afternoon with a pretty girl," Riley replied with a smirk. Kendall rolled his eyes. "So you think I'm pretty?"

"I never said that," Kendall looked at her.

"But you never denied it either," Riley pointed out.

Kendall chuckled slightly and shrugged. "This conversation sounds familiar," he muttered more to himself than to her before licking his ice cream. He clicked his tongue. "Well, I've gotta admit you are one of the prettiest girls I've seen since we got here."

"Don't let Jo hear you say that," Riley said, deadpan.

"I meant apart from Jo," Kendall corrected himself and Riley nodded. "So, why did you bring me out here?"

"To apologize," Riley replied shortly. Silence fell over them and Kendall looked around before looking back at her, raising his eyebrows, waiting. "I'm sorry about what we did. It wasn't fair to you guys at all." Kendall's upper lip curled slightly. "And I'm not big on apologizing to anybody, so you can believe every word I just said."

Kendall stared at her for a moment. She didn't know if he was going to accept her apology at all. His face was void of any emotion. "I just don't get why you did it in the first place," Kendall finally said, shaking his head.

Riley let out a heavy sigh, twisting the hockey stick in her hand. She knew that would be the one question everyone would want to know, but she never really knew how hard it would be to answer. She knew that she would give the standard answer, 'We didn't have a choice' but it was hard to anticipate their reactions to it.

It was also hard to anticipate how hard getting those words out would be. That was mainly because she had ample opportunity to tell them the truth about what was going on. She wasn't anywhere near her home, she wasn't anywhere near her dad. These were people where no matter what they did, they tried so hard to be friends with them. She guessed it was only fair to be able to tell them the truth, but every time she thought about it, a big fat _NO _slammed into her head.

"You won't believe me when I say this…" Riley said quietly, "but I didn't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice," Kendall replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was. "It's pretty simple."

"Nothing in my life's that simple," she replied, with a shake of her head, giving him an amused look.

She knew what he was getting at, though. Everyone did have a choice with everything in their lives. It was that simple; black and white. But, her world was gray; one thing affected the other. One action trickled into another, mixing everything up until it was unrecognizable. Her world wasn't simple. It never had been. Simple was kind of scary for her.

"It just came out of nowhere," Kendall continued. "You guys totally threw us for a loop. It was an odd man rush if I've ever see none." He moved to lick his ice cream and pushed it too hard, watching as his ice cream hit the ground. "Ah, hockey pucks!"

Riley couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Here, Hockey-Head," she grumbled, handing him her intact ice cream cone. Kendall stared at it for a moment and Riley rolled her eyes again. She picked up the top scoop of chocolate ice cream and then all but dumped her second scoop onto his now empty cone, putting hers back onto her cone. She licked some of the ice cream off of her hand before wiping it on her jeans. "What is with you and hockey anyway?"

"You afraid I'm going to hit you with that?" Kendall asked, nodding his head towards the hockey stick in her hand. She hadn't thought of that. She glanced down at hockey stick in her hand and handed it to him. "I don't know, I've just always liked it. Easy way to get out my frustrations and stuff."

"You get frustrated?" Riley asked, her eyebrows shooting up. Kendall gave her a pointed look. _Oh._

"I always go to the hockey rink or to a frozen pond just to skate around and clear my head," Kendall replied, using his shoulder to brush his hair out of his face. "I've always done it. I don't really know why, but it's always helped. It reminds me of where I'm from and helps keep me grounded."

"As grounded as you can get on ice," Riley replied, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"Are you always sarcastic?" Kendall asked.

"Does it annoy you?" Riley replied, quirking an eyebrow. She briefly stuck her tongue out at him and then stretched her legs out in front of her. "It's part of my charm. You know, tacked onto my good looks and sparkling personality I mean."

Kendall let out a bark of laughter. "Does it get easier?" he asked and she gave him a confused look. "Making music and stuff. Does it get easier?"

Riley thought back to what Logan had said: Kendall putting a lot of pressure on himself. She could see why. None of the other boys would've been there if it wasn't for him. She heard the story. _He _was he one that wanted to get James to the audition, _he _was the one that calmed James enough down to audition, _he _was the one who stood up to Gustavo, and _he _was the one who ultimately decided to go to Los Angles as long as he brought his 'buds' with him. It really was all about Kendall.

"Can't really answer that, mate," she replied, tilting her head to the side. "Hasn't gotten that much easier for me." Kendall slowly nodded. "Sure in some cases; we get a say in what music we want to do covers for or what originals we want to put on our CD. That's all after years and years of work, though. At first, you have to do basically what anybody tells you. It's enough to want you to pull your hair out."

She started to eat her cone. "But, we never get a say of how long we practice, how we perform the songs, or even if we want to be a triple threat; you know, singing, dancing, and playing our own instruments. Our dad commandeers our life. That's where you're lucky."

"How am I lucky?" Kendall asked. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "At least you have a dad. I don't. I have to work to help make sure my mom and Katie are doing well."

_And I don't_? Riley thought, feeling herself quickly getting annoyed. "Your mum can do fine by herself," Riley replied, using the fingers of her free hand to brush her hair out of her face. "She can take care of you and Katie _and _do whatever she wants. Try doing what I do; I have to cook for my siblings, and clean, and make sure they get their homework done, and pretty much be their parent."

"You're just a kid," Kendall shaking his head.

"I'm 16 and so are you," Riley shot back, feeling her jaw tighten. "At least you have a mum." She then said quietly, "I'd give everything to have a mum."

"At least you have a dad," Kendall shot back getting to his feet. Riley tilted her head back to look up at him. "I'd give anything to have my dad back." He paused for a moment. "At least, I did before." He cursed under his breath and muttered, "this conversation is familiar, too."

_What does that mean, 'at least I did before'? _Riley thought. _That doesn't sound good. _In her time of knowing him, she noticed that no one brought up the subject of his dad, but she didn't dwell on it. _Must've been something bad, then. _

Kendall cleared his throat. "You have yours you should be happy," he pointed out.

"And you have your mum, _you _should be happy," Riley said as she got to her feet. She still had to tilt her head back to look at him. She took a step back to look him in the eye. "At least you've known your dad. I never knew my mum."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Kendall asked, rolling his eyes.

"It's supposed to make you think realistically, you muffin!" Riley's blue eyes were flashing dangerously. "You don't have to do everything for your mum."

"Last time I checked, when we moved out here, she didn't have a job here," Kendall snapped. "I did; singing. That's the only way we can keep the money coming in. Unlike you; who has a father who can afford everything for you." He pretended to think. "A job, by the way, I might not even have anymore."

Riley cringed. "I'm sorry, ok?" she said. "About the song thing and about your mum. But, she's your manager now and she's doing a bang up job." She crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to one leg. "Most likely because she's a mom first and a manager second. At least someone knows how to do that."

She instantly hated herself for saying that, especially when Kendall narrowed his eyes slightly in her direction. She suddenly felt really cold. She needed to get out of there. She rubbed at an arm, shifting her gaze to the ground. "Anyway, I just wanted to apologize," Riley said as she looked back up at him. "Accept it or not, whatever, I don't care."

"So all this was just a way to make you feel better about yourself?" Kendall asked with an odd laugh, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Well, I'm glad I was able to make you feel better."

_Get out now, just start walking. _"You're kidding, right?" Riley asked, staring at him. "Like doing something like that would make me feel better about myself?" Her accent started to slide into her words, become stronger and stronger as she spoke. "I fucking apologized to you and I know what I did was wrong. I already feel like a huge jerk so you DON'T HAVE TO FUCKING RUB IT IN!"

Kendall's eyes widened at the sudden shout. "Look, I know I can be a hard person to get along with and I can admit that I don't make it that easy," Riley continued, setting her jaw. "But, there's a reason for it. You don't want to be my friend. You don't want to be any of our friends. Trust me."

Kendall stared at her for a moment. "Why?" he asked simply.

The question nearly threw her off guard. She blinked rapidly, staring at him. Her hands throbbed. When did she turn them into fists? She slowly uncurled her hands, feeling the imprints of fingernails on the heel of her palm. "_What_?" she asked.

"Why don't you want us to be friends with you guys?" Kendall asked and Riley's jaw dropped slightly. "It's a pretty simple question."

"Wrong again," Riley said, shaking her head. "It's like I said, nothing in my life is simple." _Leave. Move your feet. Stop talking. _"Like I said, I have to go. Thanks…I guess, for at least for listening, even if you didn't want to, Hockey-Head."

"Part of my charm," Kendall replied, tilting his head to the side, giving a small smile. Riley laughed a little bit. "When you said you didn't have a choice—"

"I didn't have a choice, simple as that," Riley replied, heading past him. She gave him the peace sign as she passed him. "See you later."

"See you soon," Kendall replied over his shoulder.

Riley stopped walking and her lips curled up into a smile. "Yeah," she said, still facing the same direction. She then made her way out of Palm Woods Park and over to the bus stop.

The bus came and she climbed aboard, reaching for her wallet to slide some change into the dispenser. She grabbed a seat by the window and stared out at it all the way to the bus stop near her home. She got up, walked the rest of the way to her house, all but slamming the door shut behind her.

"Hey, I'm home," she called in a dull tone. She made her way into the kitchen and found her siblings sitting at the kitchen table around a bowl of popcorn. "Mmm, comfort food. Must've known I would tank."

"We all did," Patrick replied, loudly chomping on a mouthful of popcorn. "Katie knows…naturally."

"Word at the Palm Woods spreads fast," Sydney added, leaning back in his chair. "And by that, I mean, James, and Carlos don't really let you talk when they're mad about something."

Noah nodded. "They kinda holed themselves up in the swirly slide," he explained. "It was kinda funny, I guess."

"Well, I tired talking to Logan," Riley said as she dropped into an empty chair, reaching for the bowl.

"And?" they asked in unison.

"Nothing," Riley said with a sigh. "He won't talk to me." She raked her fingers through her hair before checking the chipped nail polish on her fingers before resting her chin in her hands. "Not that I blame him. Between this and keeping our secret, and school work, I'm surprised his head hasn't popped."

Patrick laughed a little bit before he sobered. "Carlos and James don't want anything to do with us either," Noah said, his eyebrows twitching into an odd look. "They made up some lame excuse about Alpacas and left."

"I talked to Kendall, too," Riley said and everyone gave her curious looks. She shrugged. "He seemed to have gotten that we were sorry. Maybe he'll let the others know." She drummed her fingers on the table. "Only time will tell I guess. In the mean time, we've got to figure out what we're going to do once dad finds out what happened. We can't go to Ronan's he knows we'll be there."

"Yeah, we've used him as an excuse for so long," Rhuben added, rubbing at her temples with her fingers. She then frowned and reached for a napkin to wipe her fingers and then the sides of her head. "Surprised he hasn't figured it out."

"Who's to say he hasn't?" Sydney asked with a frown. "I don't like lying to him of anybody. But…he's not stupid." He then nodded over at Patrick. "Not as bad as him, anyway." Patrick stuck his tongue out at Sydney. "I'm just saying, he's bound to know by now, I mean all these years? Maybe he can help us?"

"How so?" Noah asked.

"Well…maybe he could….adopt us?" Sydney said quietly, twisting his fingers. "Maybe?" Everyone was silent and he shifted in his seat. "It was just a thought."

"No one said it was bad, Little Man," Patrick said, mussing Sydney's hair. Sydney gave him a dimpled smile. "It was just kind of…out there." He lifted his shirt collar to his mouth and started to chew it. "I guess it could work."

"But, we'd have to turn dad in," Rhuben pointed out. "Let's be honest here, he's not _always_ bad." He motioned towards Sydney. "He comforts you when you have a nightmare." Sydney nodded and then she turned towards Patrick and Noah. "He gets you new bikes whenever you asks, and fixes them if they break." Patrick and Noah exchanged glances. "We can all agree that dad has done things we don't like, but he has also been a dad to us—"

"Not as much as Ronan," Riley said speaking up and Rhuben bobbed her head back and forth before sighing out her nose. "Ronan's always been there; giving us a place to sleep, food, he buys us clothes when we need it; a normal music producer doesn't do that but a friend does."

"He might not even be doing that at all if he didn't know," Noah added, raking his fingers through his long hair. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "Let's be honest here; there's a good possibility that Ronan knows, and he's been more of a father to us than dad has been. It'd be pretty cool."

"The thing is…how do we tell him?" Riley asked. No one said anything. "Forget it, I'll figure something out. In the mean time, I have an idea on how to get the boys back in our good graces." She looked at her siblings, seeing the curious looks on their faces. "Anybody have any ideas on how to get Gustavo out of the Palm Woods?" She let out a sigh through her nose. "Cause I'm thinking, that if we can get him out…we can go in if we need to."

Identical grins crossed Patrick and Noah's faces. "Have you guys heard about the Palm Woods Ghost?" they asked in unison.

"I'm listening," Riley replied, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair.

_A stiff apology is a second insult…the injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt._

* * *

**A/N: **The wrap up to Big Time Terror and Big Time Dance will be used together in the next couple of chapters. Lizzie will be brought back in again and you'll see more from Katie, too. Ehhh, the chapter title really was supposed to go to the chapter with Big Time Dance, but I needed to add this in here before I got there.

**PS: **The italic quotes at the end of chapters I don't own. I get them from brainy quotes. This one, for example, is from Gilbert K. Chesterton.

Cheers

-Rhuben


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